


Atychiphobia

by DittyWrites



Series: Puzzles and Phobias [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Arkham (Video Games), DCU, DCU (Animated), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Arkham Asylum, Assault, Bank Robbery, Canon-Typical Violence, Dinner, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Minor Violence, Poker, Prison, Psychological Torture, Robbery, Theft, Threats, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-06-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 14:38:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4023643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DittyWrites/pseuds/DittyWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When circumstance and affection force two of Gothams' most prolific villains to live together, trouble is soon at hand. Surviving in Gotham is hard enough as it is but will Edward Nygma and Jonathan Crane be able to survive each other? Maybe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lucky Eddie was here to save the day, eh?

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into the world of Riddler/Scarecrow. I've loved this pairing for years and i wanted to finally get something done for it. This series will have moments of darkness and graphic violence but ratings and tags will be added as appropriate.
> 
> Various other DC characters will make an appearance but the running theme throughout the series will be the relationship between Jonathan and Edward.

Jonathan Crane was having a good day.

His latest batch of fear toxin had shown an increase in potential potency and his suspicions that it would be his most impressive thus far and this hypothesis had been supported by the human testing he had already conducted. The new toxin also had the unexpected side-affect of inducing a mild paralysis while the toxin was in full effect and this new feature had made his criminal exploits considerably easier to unfold.

That said, he had suffered through a few close calls with recent patients who had turned aggressive while under the toxin and been forced to kill them before they could do any real damage.

But progress was progress.

It was a shame really.

He had only escaped from Arkham Asylum two weeks previously and he was officially bored with laying low. There was only so much entertainment his new accommodation could provide him while he was barred from accessing his old supplies.

Plus, he had to replenish his funds and while participants and lab equipment could be carefully stolen, certain chemicals had to be imported and that came at a hefty price which was the reason he had been forced to pull this quick bank robbery.

Bank robberies were not his forte.

He was a scientist, not a thief, and he didn't enjoy the physical and risk aspects of such a public crime. Generally, if he were in desperate need of money he would work with another rogue in order to avoid the majority of the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, his usual associates weren't available at the minute since both Croc and Dent were still trapped within the Asylum and Selina was still avoiding him since he had made a misjudged attempt to dose her with his toxin.

Irritatingly, he knew that he would hold the scars from that encounter until his dying day.

But the thing that was annoying him above all else was that his favourite partner to work with was roaming free within the city and would be happy to help him if he simply asked for it. However, his pride dictated that he was still too furious with him to even consider asking for his assistance and so he had been forced to commit this robbery alone.

Jervis had been kind enough to procure the banks vault codes for him in exchange for a promise of help on a future project and he had agreed easily. When he had a semblance of lucidity, Jervis was actually one of the few rogues he enjoyed knowing socially although this did mean having to deal with the occasional episode from the other man.

Getting his toxin into the ventilation system was not difficult and it also ensured that the bank tellers would be too pre-occupied to hit any silent alarms. It worked more effective than any hand-held weapon ever could.

He had timed his entrance to perfection and it was a glorious sight to behold.

Since it was almost the end of the working day, the bank itself was almost deserted with only a few unfortunate late-comers who had been caught by the toxin along with the staff. Around two dozen wailing and screaming victims were dotted across the main hall of the bank, some huddled against the walls, while most had just collapsed into a pile on the floor.

It was almost impossible to keep the satisfied smile which made its way onto his face as he took in the wonderful sight.

It was not very often he conducted an attack on such a diverse and numerous audience and, against his better judgement, he decided to take his time.

Walking slowly through the bank, he wove among the screaming victims only pausing to give each individual a few moments of his time as he made a mental note of how they were responding to the fear toxin. Thus far he had come across nothing of particular interest, most seemed to have stereotypical fears which didn't excite him that much. Spiders and heights were the flavour of the month, as always.

However, as he passed one of the men on the floor he was able to pick up him gibbering something about balloons and he stopped at his side.

“Globophobia. That's uncommon.”

Bending down, he stole the mans wallet from his rear pocket and took a quick note of his personal details in his own small pad which he kept inside his costume at all times. Returning the wallet, he made another quick note that he would, time providing, be making a private house call to this particular patient for further testing.

He was too engrossed in the fallen man to notice the woman who was inching her way towards the door.

This teller had been inside the vault at the time of the attack and she had inadvertently avoided it fully, choosing to hide when she realised what was occurring within her workspace.

She had been carefully trying to avoid the man who was currently examining one of her fallen colleagues when her foot caught on a loose wire. It pulled a telephone from one of the tables and the cursed thing clattered to the floor with a distinctive bang.

Alerted by the sound, Jonathan stood up fully and whirled around at the source of the noise.

Squeaking in pure fear the woman darted for the front entrance.

She was less than a foot over the threshold when she felt something hard smash into the side of her temple and she instantly collapsed into darkness.

Eyes widened in surprise as the woman fell back into the doorway, Jonathan watched as she slumped to the ground in an undignified manner, apparently unconscious as a small patch of blood began spreading under her head.

He studied the body for a second longer before he heard the door open again as Edward Nygma strolled in as if he owned the place, twirling his freshly-bloody cane in one hand.

“You missed one!” Edward called out obnoxiously as he paused in the entranceway to use the hanging ends of the womans jacket to clean the blood off his cane, “Lucky Eddie was here to save the day, eh?” He preened.

“Edward!” Jonathan hissed. “What are you doing here?” He forcibly shoved down the slight pleasure he felt as seeing the other man as he reminded himself that he was not in the mood for any of Edwards' stupid plans in his current mood.

“Nothing much. Just thought I would pay a visit to my favourite doctor and see how he was doing.” Edward replied. “Since he's not made the effort to come and see me since he escaped from the asylum.” He muttered under his breath but deliberately loud enough for Jonathan to hear. “But that's okay, I'm sure you have a great excuse and I am just dying to hear it over an expensive Italian dinner. Your treat.” He bounced up the older man.

“Don't even think about it.” Jonathan mumbled as he used his hand to push Edward away and continue his path towards the open vault. He was just starting to move the bundles of cash into the large bag he had carried with him when he felt Edwards' presence directly behind him. “What is it Edward?” He asked politely, refusing to give him any real attention.

“Are you still angry with me? You're being totally unreasonable.” He huffed. “But that is to be expected I suppose.” Edward shrugged. “You are just failing to see how great that plan was supposed to be. How was I supposed to know we would be rumbled?”

“Because of you, Edward, I was forced to spend over a month in the asylum for what should have been a simple experiment. You and your obsession with leaving clues ruined months of intricate planning. Not only that but in my absence, my favourite lair has now become overrun with vines which I am currently unable to remove.” Jonathan answered bitterly.

Chuckling as he helped Jonathan to pack the money away, Edward was amused. If there was one thing they both shared, it was a general disdain for all things flora. “What does my dear Pamela have against you now? Did you steal more of her prized petunias?”

Jonathan fought the smirk which threatened to break across his face. “Pamela may or may not have suspected that I was responsible for the removal of some extremely rare hallucinogenic plants from one of her greenhouses.”

“Were you?”

“Of course I was. So I imagine that's why she's taken it upon herself to punish me for that perceived slight. So, to get back to my point, because of you Edward, I now have no lair and no money. If I am to be totally honest with you, you are actually lucky that I do not have any spare toxin on me at the moment or you would be down with the other patients.” He gestured to the multiple victims who were still writhing on the floor.

Edward gulped delicately as he glanced at the fallen bodies.

He had been on the receiving end of Jonathans' toxin more times that he would have liked.

While they had been acquaintances, the scientist had seemed to enjoy dosing him when he was not expecting it and Edward had a feeling that Jonathan found his fears more interesting that he would ever confess to. However, as their unconventional relationship had grown those instances had become rarer but still, once in a while and usually during an argument, he would feel the sting of a needle or a slight choking sensation before he was confronted with hellish visions of his bastard father for a few hours.

He also had a sneaking suspicion that Jon used a less potent dose on him than his other victims to ensure that he did not endure too much damage but he knew better than to ask since he would probably receive an extra strong dose just to prove him wrong.

It was not an ideal relationship.

Between Jon gassing him and his smacking Jon on a regular basis with his cane they were a destructive pair. Plus, their verbal acidity was to be admired and feared as neither knew when to give up their ground.

Did they love each other?

No.

It wasn't love and frankly both men didn't think that they were capable of such a thing.

But there was an affection, a real and genuine affection which prevented them from doing any real lasting or permanent damage to the other.

If Edward had to put a start date on the relationship, it would have been over a year ago when the pair had been forced to live together in a tiny saferoom in West Gotham for a week to avoid the Batman who was hunting them after a failed robbery at Wayne Enterprises. By the end of that week they had tried to kill each twice and slept together once.

Not exactly a romantic start but Edward could work with it.

“But why would you want to dose me when I came here with a gift for you?” Edward spoke sweetly as he attempted to avoid a night of chemically-induced terror.

“Hmm?” Jonathan replied as he looked up interestedly. The last time Edward had given him a gift it was a special delivery of a certain synthetic chemical which was only produced in one specific area of the world. He may be obnoxious and irritating but the man knew how to give good gifts. “And what would that be?”

“Well. Since I had a sneaky suspicion that Pamela might try to pull a stunt while you were...away, I actually took all the items from your lair and had them moved to my much more comfortable digs.” Edward smiled, pleased with himself. “And since I felt like some responsibility for your incarceration could be blamed on me I also had an associate of ours set you up a brand new lab in my basement so you could continue to play scientist while also getting to enjoy my company.”

He leered before puffing up proudly at his own genius and waited for Jonathan to respond.

“Apology accepted Edward.” Jonathan replied as he threw the heavy bag onto his own back.

Edward deflated instantly. “I DID NOT APOLOGISE!” He yelled defensively as he grabbed his own money-filled bag and moved towards the exit. “Do not put words into my mouth, Jon.” He whispered as he sulked.

Jonathan sensed a perfect opportunity to not only wind Edward up but to also win the argument against him and he moved closer to the younger man. “Oh Edward. Try not to be so negative.” He used his free hand to pull Edwards' chin up before giving him a quick, kiss. Edward responded instantly and pressed himself up against his partner. Jonathan allowed himself to enjoy the warmth for a second before he let go and moved away. “Now let's go see our new home.”

Edwards stood dazed for a second before a wicked smirk appeared on his face. He stared calculatingly at the retreating figure before hurrying to follow before any passers-by happened upon the scene.

 


	2. Abandon All Hope

“So this is it?” Jonathan offered as he glanced at the living room around him.

If he were honest, it was absolutely horrific but he knew that telling the younger man that would result in at least a week of childish sulking. Put simply, there was no doubting that this was the living space of 'Riddler' since everything within it was so...green. The walls, the sofa, the lamps and the cushions were all various shades of green which were off-set by the black furnishing which also littered the room. “Are you serious? Edward?”

Standing proudly in front of his room, Edward placed his hands on his hips in a challenging motion. “Yes. Is there an issue Jon? This is MY living space so it's been decorated to MY standards. Would you rather I throw some hay down and maybe hang a few cobwebs so you can feel more at home? Maybe throw some dirt around?” He asked, pride wounded.

Jonathan narrowed his eyes. “I just expected something more tasteful from a man who seems to pride himself on his personal style.” He glanced again at one of the huge mint green lamps which topped a black bookcase to his left before giving Edward his full attention again. “Clearly not. I cannot imagine the bedroom is any better. Maybe I would actually be better in my old lair with the vines.”

Colour rose in Edwards' cheeks as Jonathan criticised him.

Marching towards the kitchen, he paused in the doorway. “Fine then. If this is not to your liking then leave. Your presence here is not actually necessary to any of my plans.” He spat before slamming the kitchen door behind him and Jonathan was able to hear him banging pots and pans about as he started to prepare something for dinner.

Jonathan sighed as he entered the bedroom which they were planning to share since Edward had only mentioned that the apartment only had one bedroom when they had arrived outside its front door. While he was not bothered about sharing, he had to admire Edwards' underhand tactics at getting him to comply as the man did have a tendency to get what he wanted.

As he took in the design of the bedroom he felt a small tug of guilt.

The difference between the private bedroom and main living room was immense. The colours were much more earthy and subtle, a few hints of green in a few areas, but this room was much more 'Edward' than 'Riddler' and Jonathan could appreciate that.

The main feature of the room was the enormous bed which took up a great portion of the available space and as he looked at it he had to fight the childish urge to flop down onto it. It was strewn with expensive-looking blankets and goose feather pillows and if he had to make a bet, he would guess that the Egyptian cotton was the highest thread available in this sector of the world and after his last month of sleeping on the asylum cots and other harsh surfaces he could feel his aching body craving the decadent space.

There were dressers on either side of the bed and Jonathan felt the tug increase as he took in the small space which was clearly dedicated to him. The right dresser was stacked high with various psychology and chemistry books and as he thumbed through a few of them Jonathan realised that most of them were quite rare with many first and second editions. Edward had apparently been planning this little 'moving in' scenario for quite a while it seemed.

Next to the books lay a pair of his old reading glasses which Edward must have kept from their last encounter and as he tried them on he was surprised to find that they still worked perfectly.

Sighing again as he dumped his bag on the bed he decided to go make some small amends with the man in the kitchen.

Walking back through the living room, Jonathan understood in that moment that this room was Edwards' method of keeping up appearances. His Riddler persona was important to him and this room was completely designed to keep up that persona to any unexpected or unwanted visitors. The difference between this and the other rooms was striking and using his considerable insight he was confident that the bedroom was a more genuine representation of who Edward Nygma was as a person when he was not in his eccentric character.

He stopped to knock gently on the kitchen door before entering.

Edward was standing over a large steaming pot which smelled faintly of cooking pasta. He turned slightly when he heard Jonathan enter and looked at him for a second before refocussing on the pot before him.

Sitting down at the table, silence reigned for a minute before Jonathan chose to break it. “I have placed my things in the bedroom.” From his vantage point he was able to see Edwards' shoulders tense up slightly.

“So you decided to stay then?” Edward spoke evenly but his voice also contained a noticeable tension, “I guess the bedroom is up to the good doctors standards?”

“Edward,” Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose, “it is unfortunate you have taken offence but honestly what did you expect?”

“I expected a little gratitude from the man who I so kindly invited to share my home with.”

“It is your fault I don't actually have a place to live to begin with but I do appreciate the effort you have placed into my section of the bedroom. Did you purchase those books for me specifically?”  
  
“If I say yes will you give me a proper apology for being rude to me for no good reason?”

“It would not hurt your chances.”

“Then, yes.”

“Thank you. And I do apologise for being rude about your garish living room.”

“That is incredibly immature, Jon.”

Jonathan stood up and moved towards Edward who kept a wary eye on him as he approached. Wrapping one arm around the younger man in an image of mock domesticity, Jonathan leaned over the steaming pot and inhaled deeply. “So when will dinner be ready dear? I am starving.”

Still a little bitter, Edward paused before answering “That is because you have the physique of a skeleton, Jon, and no amount of food ever seems to improve it. Honestly, you are far too thin for it be be medically healthy. Plus your bony body isn't exactly great at keeping me warm.” He spoke with a smile but it was soon wiped off his face as he felt Jonathans' bony fingers dig into his side threateningly.

“Careful Edward, you'll hurt my feelings.”

“Umm Jon, can you let go of me please before I burn this pasta?” He winced as the fingers tightened but let out a relieved breath when he felt them eventually recede. “Thank you.”

“So what are your plans for the coming weeks?” Jonathan asked politely as he sat back down. “Any schemes I should be made aware of?”

“Well.” Edward began as he dished the pasta out equally into two plates. “I have one or two things in the pipeline which should not present any issues but I do have a project in mind which could use your particular expertise.”

Jonathans' interest was peaked, some of his most successful plots had come to fruition while working with the genius before him.

“But I will speak more about that after these other plans are finished.” Edward placed the plates on the table and sat down himself while Jonathan opened the bottle of red wine which had been left out for the meal.

“Does this plan involve any other of our colleagues?” Jonathan asked as he started to shovel the delicious food into his mouth. Edward was a much better cook than Jonathan could ever hope to be and this was the first proper meal he had enjoyed since he was sent to the asylum.

“Perhaps. But we'll discuss it later.”

Jonathan nodded in agreement and they both continued to eat in companionable silence.

The thought of a decent nights sleep filled Jonathan with a restless energy and he glanced over at Edward who was enjoying his food at a leisurely pace. “So when will I be getting the tour of the rest of the apartment then?” He asked quietly.

“After dinner I suppose.” Edward responded as he chewed thoughtfully. “You've seen the living room, kitchen, and bedroom so that only leaves the bathroom and the basement. The bathroom you can see for yourself but i'll show you the basement since i've actually put an effort into making it into a nice terrifying environment for you.”

Jonathan smiled in anticipation. He had actually forgotten about that feature of his new living space. “Thank you for that little addition Edward. I am sure you will have done a brilliant job.” Edward smiled at the unexpected praise. “And you never know, you might get to spend some quality time down there with me if you continue to act like a petulant child.”

Edward scowled as he placed his fork down. “Riddle me this, Jon. What's black and blue and red all over?” He continued before Jonathan could interrupt.“You if you refuse to continue this conversation with a more respectful tone.” He pushed his empty plate away from him and smiled threateningly at the man across from him.

Snorting gently, Jonathan let the issue lie before picking up both his own and Edwards' plates and dumping them in the small sink. “Shall we?” He held out a hand to Edward who accepted it cautiously.

Pulling himself up, Edward wiped the front of his shirt to remove any crumbs before leading Jonathan to the top of the basement stairs. “Hostess goes first.” Jonathan continued as he allowed Edward to move in front of him.

“If you try anything Jon I swear I will cave your skull in with my cane.” Edward threatened as he began the descent. “At least close your eyes when you get to the bottom of the stairs so I can make it more of a surprise.” Jonathan tilted his head in agreement as he followed him down, shutting his eyes as soon as he reached the final step. He could hear Edward moving things around and something being dragged across a floor.

Eventually he felt the younger mans presence beside him again, “Aaand open!”

Jonathan opened his eyes and felt an unusual surge of affection for Edward.

His earlier assumption was proven right, he had done a brilliant job. The basement was essentially split into two by a hospital-style hanging curtain which separated his new lab from the 'testing area'. He immediately headed for the mini-lab to see what type of materials he had to work with and he was impressed with the wide selection.

Edward had possessed the foresight to stock up on all the basic things he would need to produce his toxin and Jonathan felt mildly impressed by how well Edward seemed to understand the production of his precious concoction. Maybe a little concerned too but if he were ever to give up the recipe to a follow rogue, it would definitely be Edward.

Pleased with the lab, he moved to the opposite side of the curtain to examine the testing area.

A decent portion of the floor was covered in linoleum, presumably for an easy clean-up should things become 'messy'. Bolted to the floor in the middle of the linoleum patch was an old-fashioned dentist chair which had securing straps attached on the arms, legs and even the torso and his eyes lit up as he ran his spindly fingers across the arm rests. Above the chair was a single dingy light bulb which gave a small amount of light to the area.

Using his impressive height he tapped the light delicately and enjoyed the effect it had in making the room look more unsettling. To the side of the chair lay a small table with various surgical tools on it and Jonathan smirked as he picked up a random scalpel to test how dull it was. Edward certainly had made an effort to make the test area as deeply frightening to the regular person as possible. He placed the scalpel back down.

Something flashed in the corner and he walked closer to investigate it. His scythe was balanced against the back wall directly beside his entire Scarecrow costume, which had been placed delicately on a mannequin. As he stroked the burlap fabric he could faintly detect the smell of detergent and paused. Edward had apparently washed, dried and fixed his costume for him while he was incarcerated.

That was...disturbingly domestic.

As a couple they had shared living spaces before but never for any great length of time and he certainly did not remember Edward ever washing his costume and he briefly wondered what had changed but he dismissed the thought quickly. Edward was probably just pleased that they were on speaking terms.

“Well?” Edward asked as he watched Jonathan approach the stairs again, having apparently finished his inspection. “Isn't this the most perfect lair set-up you've ever seen in your much-longer-than-mine life?”

“Splendid Edward. It's splendid.” He replied honestly as he took in the room as a whole again. “Thank you.” Edward stood cockily as he beamed with pride. “Now I think it's time for bed. The quality of my sleep for the last month has been incredibly lacking and my newest bed looks hedonistic enough to have my dear departed great-granny spinning in her grave.”

“Lets keep the talk of dead relatives to a minimum when we're discussing my outrageously expensive bed.” Edward said as he watched the older man. “My bed is for sleeping and a bit of the old rough-and-tumble. We can christen it tonight if you wish.” He winked. “So have I done well?”

“Just so we're clear, I will be enjoying that bed solely for its intended use tonight. And yes. In fact you have done so well I might buy a small placard to place above the doorway, just for that extra 'homely' feel.” Jonathan mused as he started back up the stairs.

“Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate.” Edwards' Italian was perfect.

“Ever the flair for the dramatic, Edward.” Jonathan smirked as he took one final glance at his new horror haven. “But I suppose you're right, 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here'.”

 


	3. What Do You Mean No?

One week.

One week has passed since Jonathan had moved into Edwards' comfortable yet garish apartment as thus far things had been going well. The two men had settled into a jerky routine even though they both had the tendency to disappear for hours on end and keep incredibly unsocial hours. When questioned about their whereabouts by the other, they would tend to respond with 'work'. No other questions were needed really, if one needed help or was in trouble with something then they would ask but generally they were very independent.

But not at night.

At night they always shared Edwards' bed and regardless of where the started out, they always woke up completely entangled in each other but both were quick to blame that phenomena on the fact that Jonathan was made up entirely of bony limbs which spread out across the entire bed.

Tonight they were in the living room attempting to work out their plans for the remainder of the evening and Edward was currently suiting up in civilian clothing since he had an appointment.

“Since I have plans to meet my real estate agent later, would you be able to travel to the docks and pick up some packages I have coming in for me? I need the materials inside for a small engineering project I have coming up.” Edward asked politely.

“No.”

A pause. “What do you mean no?”

“No. I'm busy tonight.”

“Okay, i'll play along. What are you doing tonight?”  
  
“I'm lying on the couch and reading the final chapter of this journal which I have been attempting to get my hands on for the last month. Therefore, I am too busy to travel all the way down to the docks because you can't manage your time properly.” Jonathan drawled as he flipped a new page.

Edward growled at him. “Jonathan.” He spoke through gritted teeth. “If I don't pick up these packages tonight then some other idiotic fool in this city will no doubt attempt to take them. I am asking you nicely to get them for me since you have no real plans for this evening.” He placed his hands on his hips as he stood in front of him.

“Still no.”

His patience snapping, Edward moved forward and knocked the book out of Jonathans' hand, taking satisfaction in the heavy thumping noise it made when it hit the floor. Eyes narrowing dangerously, Jonathan stood up and squared off against the younger man. “Don't be foolish, Edward.” He spoke quietly. “And get your own damn things. Do I look like a delivery man?”

Deciding to be brave, Edward stepped further into Jonathans' personal space and matched his quiet tone. “No. You don't look like a delivery man. You look like a goddamn idiot who obviously lacks the brain capacity to complete this one simple task for me.”

Jonathans' eyes flashed at the insult and he quickly grabbed a canister of fear toxin from inside the fold of the couch. He had hidden toxin all over the flat in case they found themselves being attacked.

Reacting on pure instinct to the threat, Edward lashed out with his fist and it caught Jonathan across the jaw and snapped his head to the side. The canister of toxin in his hand flew across the room and Edward was pleased to see it land somewhere behind the television, away from easy accessibility. He turned his attention back to Jonathan as he backed up slightly since the mans' reactions were unpredictable at the best of times.

A few seconds of tense silence passed before Jonathans' shoulders began to shake as he started to laugh.

Wiping away the smidge of blood which had gathered at the corner of his mouth, Jonathan turned and gave Edward a grin as his eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, Eddie.” He laughed. “Is this how you want to play?” He drew himself up to his full gargantuan height and started to circle Edward.

One of his hands disappeared inside his outfit and soon emerged armed with a full syringe which he started to wave it around in a threatening manner. His movements becoming decidedly more predatory as he stalked Edward and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. “Perhaps the patient could do with another session?”

Panic took root in Edwards' gut as he mirrored Jonathans' circling motion. It seemed that Jon was channelling a little of his inner Scarecrow but Edward was relieved that he just seemed to be exaggerating his giddiness since when the full wrath of the Scarecrow came out to play it was never a pretty sight.

Jon always referred to Edward by his full name or the occasional 'Ed' if he was feeling particularly affectionate or mocking. 'Eddie' and any variation of it tended to be a Scarecrow-inspired quirk which Edward had picked up on over his years of working with the older man. Edward had the exact same quirk while he was in his Riddler persona as Jon sometimes became 'Jonny boy'. But generally speaking, the sudden change in nickname did not bode well for Edward Nygma.

“I'm not looking for a fight Jon.” He spoke defensively as he tried to keep his distance, knowing fully that the chances of him getting out of this fight unscathed had just been severely decimated.

It was not that Jonathan was a great fighter. If anything, Edward was the stronger of the two since he had actually studied a few various forms of self-defence in his life. Although, most of these were centred on or involved the use of his cane which he suspected was still sitting in the kitchen and was, therefore, out of reach.

Jonathan on the other hand had never studied any form of fighting or defence but his own personal style of 'violent dancing' was dangerously unpredictable and he only really needed one opportunity to stick a needle into Edward so constant vigilance was a must. Neither man was a traditional 'fighter' but in order to survive in Gotham it was necessary to pick up some physical survival skills as the years passed.

Jonathan was the first to strike.

Sensing an opportunity he lunged forward and tried to jab the needle into Edwards' exposed forearm. Anticipating this move, Edward dove to the side and successfully managed to avoid the oncoming attack but his momentary joy was short-lived as he was caught by Jonathans' foot which tripped him and sent him sprawling to the floor.

Slightly disorientated, he rolled onto his back to see Jonathan bearing down on him, needle in hand, and he was just able to grab the bony wrist before it was able to make contact with him. Using his free hand he landed a harsh punch square into Jonathans' exposed stomach and he dropped instantly to his knees beside Edward, completely winded.

Fueled by adrenaline, Edward grabbed one of his mint-green lamps from the nearby dresser and smashed it against Jonathans' head before he could stand back up, only hesitating slightly before the lamp made impact since he didn't actually want to kill him. The lamp made full-contact and broke into pieces as Jonathan slumped to ground and stopped moving.

Struggling to his feet, Edward felt victory coursing though his veins. 'Score one to Eddie', he thought immaturely as he brushed off his suit trousers.

Feeling mildly concerned about how hard he had smacked Jonathan over the head, Edward realised that he had probably better check to make sure he wasn't seriously injured. Kneeling beside the fallen man at his feet, Edward used his hand to check for a pulse and was relieved to find it steady. He was apparently fully unconscious.

“Serves you right, Jon.” He said quietly as he stood up again. Feeling a little guilty, he decided to check the bedroom to see if he could find an old blanket to throw over him since he couldn't really be bothered to shift the mans' dead weight to the bedroom itself.

He turned around and was just about to leave when he felt a sharp sting in his lower leg.

Wincing, he looked behind him to see Jonathan with a vicious smirk on his face and a now-empty needle in his hand.

“Nice try, Edward.” Jonathan spoke in a sing-song voice as he threw the needle across the room. “If only you hadn't hesitated at the last second there, you might have actually won this one.” He watched with dull, pained eyes as Edward grasped desperately at the back of the sofa as the toxin began to take effect on his body and mind. “I'll admit it was a close one and i'm pretty certain that I am going to pass out very soon so if you get into any difficulty i'm afraid you're on your own tonight.”

Edward whimpered as the shadows began to shift and move into various images of his father and other tormentors as his fear started to take a hold of him.

He used the last remnants of his energy to drag himself to the other side of the sofa so he could drop onto it and prepare himself for the hellish night in store.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this domestic has given me a very wicked idea for a much darker and much more awesome domestic which i'm gonna have to include in one of the later chapters. God bless these bastards!


	4. Probably Won't Need Stitches

Jonathan was the first to wake up.

Pleasantly surprised that he had not died during the night he slowly stood up from his awkward position on the ground. Stretching out his entire body, he winced as it rebelled against the sudden movement after a night of being stiff and uncomfortable. He had a slight pounding in his head and he touched the sore area delicately.

'Probably won't need stitches.' He assessed quietly and he used his shoe to move the larger pieces of the shattered lamp into a small pile which could be swept up later. Glancing around the room, he vaguely remembered dosing Edward with toxin before he passed out and he wondered where the man had gotten to.

He didn't have to look far as he looked over the back of the couch to see Edward lying on it fully asleep.

To an untrained eye, his sleep looked peaceful but Jonathan could see the tension in his face and the whites of his knuckles as he gasped his own arms. By this point, he shouldn't be hallucinating at all but the remnants of fear would still be present in his normal dreams.

His head was still a bit muddled and he couldn't remember exactly which type of fear toxin he had dosed the younger man with but he was relieved to see that Edward had not choked on his own tongue during the night or harmed himself in some way.

Edward would wake up soon and Jonathan knew that nothing would be discussed.

There was a long standing tradition that neither would hold a grudge after their various 'domestics' since both men knew they had a tendency to overreact when threatened. Apologies for actions taken were also extremely rare but did occur, such as the time Edward had inadvertently broken Jons' knee when attempting to sweep him to the floor.

Jonathan moved through to the kitchen and searched through the medicine cupboard to find their stash of vitamins and other first aid materials. After being given a serious dose of toxin, the human body needed some considerable help to boost it back to normal to compensate for the stress it had been under.

Usually, a victim would take many hours to get back to normality after being attacked but Jonathan had devised a cocktail of medicines and vitamins which could dramatically improve the recovery rate. He finished dissolving the concoction in a glass of water.

Right on cue, he heard stirring of movement from the couch and he placed the glass in the middle of the table. It took a few minutes for Edward to stumble through to the kitchen and he dropped down heavily into one of the seats. Spying the glass in front of him he looked gratefully at Jonathan before instantly downing about half of it.

“How's the head?” He asked hoarsely as he took another gulp.

“Fine. I don't think it'll need stitches.” Jonathan replied evenly as he took a seat opposite the drinking man. Edward looked awful. His eyes had a haunted quality to them and his face was paler than usual as his dry lips attempted to finish the drink he'd been given. His hand visibly trembled as it held the glass to his mouth. “How do you feel?”

“Awful.” Edward replied honestly and Jonathan again wondered what exactly he had injected into him but decided it would be tactless to ask for details at this moment in time. Maybe later depending on how their day went. Edward continued, “Do you want me to take a look at your head?”

Jonathan considered it for a second before tilting his head towards Edward slightly in invitation. Edward stood and moved around the table to get a better look. He parted Jonathans' dark hair and inspected the small gash he had left there.

“You definitely do not need stitches but I think we should clean it out to prevent infection.” He returned to his seat and checked his watch. “I think will also have a nap at some point. I have a 'dinner date' with one of our darling friends later and then I will need to phone Claire my real estate agent and apologise for missing our appointment last night.”

“Who are you meeting for dinner?” Jonathan asked. “If you're meeting Victor can you ask him if he could contact me as soon as possible? I'm looking into the effects of different levels of cold on the toxin and I could use his opinion on one or two things.”

“If I see him I will let him know but I am meeting Harley today. She phoned a few days ago and demanded that I meet her for dinner, said it was important but I highly doubt it somehow. The last time she said I had to meet her for something important all she wanted to do was ask my opinion on what she should buy her 'Puddin' for Valentines Day.” He frowned at the memory. “Sometimes it's easy to forget that she has a PhD.”

“Miss Quinzel is impressive in her own way. She has the intelligence to get far in life and she plays it down so people will underestimate her.” Jonathan responded in her defense. He had always had mild respect for the younger woman and her abilities. “If she were to truly branch out on her own she would be a formidable opponent for any individual.”

“Meh.” Edward shrugged his shoulder. “She's still not as brilliant as me.”

“Who is Edward?” Jonathan sighed. “Your ego is one of the most astounding things i've ever come across.” He spoke honestly and without venom, he wasn't in the mood for another fight.

“Let's not argue at breakfast. It's too early in the morning and i'm still a bit tender from last nights festivities but I do think I am going to treat myself to a few hours sleep since I still feel a bit too groggy to be of any use in a social situation.”

Putting the empty glass in the sink, he moved past Jonathan, pausing slightly to place the lightest kiss on the uninjured side of his head, and left the kitchen. He had just dropped into his huge bed when he heard the front door open and close as Jonathan left. Edward vaguely wondered where he was headed before he felt his exhaustion wash over him and he fell asleep.

He awoke to his alarm a few hours later.

Feeling considerable better due to a mixture of the medicine he had taken earlier and the sleep, he jumped out of bed and threw on his green housecoat. Yawning as he walked into the living room, he stopped short at the sight in front of him.

Lying on the armchair directly across from the bedroom was several plain brown packages, unopened and stacked neatly on top of one another. Walking slowly towards them with a small smile he picked up the top package and opened it quietly.

It was his dock delivery.

Jonathan must have went out to pick it up when Edward had headed off to bed. His smile developed into a full grin as he picked up the packages and moved them downstairs to the basement for safe-keeping.

Jonathan Crane was not the most affectionate of men and to any outsider he would appear cold and unfeeling but Edward knew better. It was small gestures such as this that gave Edward hope that the affection he felt for Jon was mirrored within the other man.

Returning to the bedroom, he started to dress for his dinner date with Harley but his mind was on his thoughtful-if-stubborn partner.

 


	5. The Answer Is No!

Pulling up outside the restaurant, Edward adjusted his green tie before giving his taxi driver a healthy tip. He was slightly late for dinner and he had asked the driver to break a few laws to get him here as quickly as possible and the driver had delivered perfectly.

Good old Gotham City, where a man is willing to break any law in exchange for some quick cash.

He strolled though the front doors of the restaurant and was instantly intercepted by the receptionist.

“Name?” She asked as she held the register in her well-manicured hands.

“It will be under Quinzel.” Edward replied as he shrugged his jacket off so it could be placed into the cloakroom. The receptionist scanned the list and nodded.

“Table 14. Directly in front of the left-hand window.”

“Thank you.” He swanned through the restaurant towards his assigned table. Scanning the room he saw Harley already seated, she was picking her nails in boredom but she perked up instantly as soon as she spotted him. Waving childishly at him, he returned her wave as he sat down. “Good evening Harley. My apologies for being late.”

“Its okay Ed.” Harleys' voice was eternally preppy and loud but she seemed more subdued than usual tonight and Edward wondered if that had anything to do with why she wanted to see him. “I know your time-keeping ain't the best. I only arrived a minute before you did anyway 'cause I got held up by Bud and Lou. The poor babies escaped and I had to hunt them down before the pound got a hold of 'em.”

“Those damn hyenas of yours still owe me a suit, Harley.” He picked up the menu. “I wasn't able to get their filthy stains out of my old one.”

“Ehh...that was Mistah Jays' fault. If ya need a new suit then you'll need to speak to him.” She shrugged.

“So how is your...uhh...'Puddin'?” Edward asked, attempting to be polite as he read through the menu. He couldn't care less about her psychopath beau but it was always good to know what the man was up to and therefore, what areas of Gotham he should avoid.

“That lousy loser!” Harley answered heatedly as she flipped through her own menu a bit more harshly than intended. “Me and Mistah Jay ain't been together for ages now! He's treated me like trash for years and now we ain't together. I deserve better than that jerk.” She scowled.

Edward was surprised. Harley seemed more serious than usual when it came to her odd relationship with the Joker. He wondered vaguely how long it would last. “So where are you currently living? Did you get your own hideout? Or did you run to dear Pamela like usual?”

“Me an' Red have been livin' together for about half a year now.” Harley smiled dreamily as she thought of her best friend. “She was so happy when I told her I wanted to move all my stuff in with her. She's the best!”

“I'll bet she was happy.” Edward smirked.

The rumours about Pamelas' relationship with Harley had been rife pretty much since the pair had first met and Edward knew that the pair had been lovers more than once. “I'm happy for you Harley.” He said honestly. He had always appreciated Harleys' company and he did like to see her happy.

It was a shame she seemed to have chosen Pamela but at least Pam seemed to genuinely love her unlike the Joker who was a the most self-centred and genuinely evil man whom Edward had ever had the misfortune to meet.

“Thanks Ed.” She grinned. The waiter appeared and the both made their selections from the menu and waited patiently for him to leave again. “So, how are you doin' Ed?”

“Life is good Harley. I haven't been in Arkham for over a year now, which is a new record I think, and I don't see myself going back any time soon. All of my recent plans have been pulled off without a hitch, money is flowing and I haven't seen head nor hide of the winged rat for months.”

Harley giggled. “Poor Bats. You're always so mean about him.”

“That's because he's a brute and a cretin. Jonathan went on a random ten minute rant the other day about his theories on what Batmans' greatest fears were. It was quite spectacular to watch actually.”

“How is Doctah Crane?” She asked knowingly, raising her eyebrows.

Harley was one of the few fellow rogues who knew the real situation between Edward and Jonathan and Edward had never actually been able to suss out how. The majority of the other rogues knew that they had been on-and-off sexual partners for quite a while but assumed that it didn't go any further than that. At best, they assumed that it was a mutually destructive relationship and they were only together to manipulate the other until they served no further use. Very few knew of any deeper connection between the two, Harley was one and Selina and Jervis were others but aside from that Edward was not entirely sure.

“Jonathan is fine. Working away at his bastard toxin as usual. Managed to hit me with a dose of it last night actually, which is one of the reasons why I was a tad late.”

“Why'd he dose ya, Ed?” Harley asked, her eyes widening in concern.

Edward laughed at her concern. “It's okay Harley, we had an argument last night and he dosed me after I smashed a lamp over his head.” Edward frowned upon hearing his own explanation but I there was any individual who would not judge, it was Harley, “but he did apologise in his own way earlier so I think we are okay. He has moved into one of my apartments since Pam destroyed his old lair.”

“Sounds like Red.” She giggled again. “But does he treat ya good? Mistah Jay used to do stuff like that to me and it wasn't good.”

“We are fine Harley, honestly.” He placated her. “We have a few disagreements every now and then, unavoidable given our personalities, but overall we are doing good. This is the longest we have existed under the same roof since we met and I am enjoying the method in which things are progressing. But enough relationship talk, why did you invite me out Harley?”

“I need ya to do me a favour.” She sat up straight and gave him direct eye contact. “Pammy and I are planning ta break into Wayne Enterprises cause she needs some rare seeds which they have and we need someone with smarts to get past the computer systems.” She batted her eyelashes in an attempt to convince him.

“Helping out Ivy? Sorry Harley but the answer is no. Pamela hates me and I find her pro-plant attitude completely moronic. Plus, she is a complete bitch.”

“Don't cha talk about Red like that!” Harley protested. “She's even agreed to pay ya!”

Edward considered his options for a second. “What kind of figure are we talking here?”

“$25,000. And i'll also throw in a personal favour since i've always liked ya Mistah E.” Edward smirked at the nickname, she only ever used that when she really wanted something.

“Hmm...” A favour from Harley Quinn could always come in handy. She had skills that himself and Jonathan lacked and she could prove useful in the future. “Okay Harley. I'll help out. Give me the details and I will see what I can do to gain you both some seeds.”

“Aww thanks Ed, you're the best!” Harley squealed as she threw herself across the table and Edward had to brace himself for the tight hug. He was saved by the arrival of the food as she sat back down in her seat.

Pouring them both a small glass of wine, he raised his glass to her, “To future plans.”

She repeated the phrase and clinked her glass with his as the both took a sip and began to devour the expensive food before them.

 


	6. Technical Difficulty

Working with Harley was difficult.

She was too unorganised and unfocussed for Edwards' liking. His operations ran like clockwork, everything had a very specific timetable and he wasn't even sure that Harley knew what time-keeping was. Throw Poison Ivy into the mix and Edward was ready for just abandoning the pair and returning home for a stiff drink and an early night.

Ivys' home had a horrid humidity to it and he kept a wary eye on the assorted vines which were littered around the room.

“Why did you have to ask _him_ for help?” Ivy asked haughtily as she studied her nails and pointedly ignored the man in front of her. She glanced at Harley. “Was there literally no one else available?”

“C'mon Red! Mistah E is the best at this kinda thing and you know it.” Harley spoke up in Edwards' defense as she finished applying her clown makeup. It had taken her days to convince Ivy to agree to let Edward help out and she did not want the pair of them to fight before they had even started.

“It's okay Harley. Pamela is just embarrassed that she lacks the basic intelligence to get past a security network as simple as the one they have at Wayne Enterprises.” Edward spoke confidentially but loud enough for Ivy to hear.

He had shown up in his full costume and he was sorely regretting wearing the three-piece inside this warm hell and he was convinced that Ivy had increased the heat specifically to irritate him. However, he would be damned before he would show weakness and remove his jacket.

A satisfied smirk settled on his face when he heard her intake sharply. Subtly adjusting his cane in his hands, he waited for her to respond.

“How dare you!” Ivy growled as he flicked her wrist, causing several of the small vines to hurtle towards him. Rolling out of the way nimbly, he flicked the end of his cane with his foot to reveal a sharp blade protruding from the end. Slashing, he used the blade to sever the vine closest to him as he made his way towards Harley.

“Riddle me this Pam, what's long, sharp, and will be lodged in your chest in a moment if you do not call off your vines?” He waved the end of the cane threateningly.

Harley looked confused for a second. “That wasn't a very good Riddle, Ed.”

“That's because it was a threat dear.” He answered her without taking his eyes off Ivy.

“Touch my plants again and vines will be the least of your problems, _Eddie_.” She sneered as she spat the nickname at him while calling her vines back to her. “Are you nearly finished Harls?” She asked more softly as she spoke to the blonde.

“Yeah. That's me done. Whatcha need to do now Red?” She bounced off her chair and snatched up her offensively large hammer.

“I think it's time to put your awful plan into action.” Edward interrupted. “So to recap, I will be inside the central control room while Harley takes care of the half-dozen guards, leaving Ivy free to snatch up the seeds.” He rubbed his forehead with a glove-covered hand. “Which, as far as plans go, sounds absolutely atrocious, how did I even get mixed up in this?”

“Cause you're a pal and you love helpin' me out?” Harley giggled as she slid her arm through both Ivy and Edwards and led the duo to the door. “C'mon guys this could be the start of a great new partnership between the three of us.”

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

To be fair to Harley, the plan did appear to be going without a hitch.

She had successfully taken out the two guards outside the building extremely quickly and efficiently and Edward had managed to make his way to the central command centre without any real issue. He had been caught by surprise by a guard who was just leaving the room while Edward was trying to enter and the man had landed one punch to his face before Edward had beaten him into full unconsciousness with his cane.

The computer systems within the command centre were easy enough to break into and now all he had to do was wait for Harley to finish taking out the guards so that Ivy could make a clean break for the seeds which were stored in a vault on the seventeenth floor.

Watching the girls do their thing on the various monitors in front of him gave Edward time to reflect on the duo.

Harleys' relationship with the Joker was a disaster from start to end. Edward was self-aware enough to know that he had strong masochistic tendencies when push came to shove but he could never understand how that women put up with the torments which the Joker rained down on her. He understood that his own relationship could look abusive to anyone from an outside perspective but it was much more complicated than that since both men were equally cruel to the other when the occasion called for it. However, there was always that underlying mutual affection, which Harley had never experienced with the Joker

Glancing at the screens again, he just caught Harley taking out two men with one swipe of her hammer.

Her relationship with Pam was very different but strikingly similar. Ivy did not abuse her in the same way but she was definitely more in control of their relationship, that much was clear, although at least Pamela did genuinely care about the poor blonde and he vaguely wondered if Harley was someone who sought out various strong figures to help give her life direction. It was a shame actually since he was sure Jonathan was correct in his assessments about her and her potential as an independent villain with no ties to anyone.

Seeking out Ivy on the monitors, he spotted her about to enter into a room with a silent alarm. Flicking the speakers in that section on he spoke directly into it. “I wouldn't do that if I was you Pamela.”

Visibly flinching, Pamela stopped her reach for the doorknob and looked around to find the source of the voice. Edward laughed softly as she looked directly into the camera as she flipped him off. He was just about to respond with a witty remark when the entire system in front of him crashed. Frowning, he attempted to reboot it but with no success. His phone started to vibrate in his pocket and he plucked it out.

“Hello?” He asked politely.

“Edward,” came Jons' cold voice, “where exactly are you? I've been attempting to get in contact with you for a few hours now.”

“I told you this morning that I was assisting Harley and Ivy out tonight with that Wayne Enterprise theft tonight.” Edward replied. “Do you ever listen to me?”

“Not usually no but can you steal me some high-quality test tubes when you are there? I suffered a misfortune earlier and I am a little too burned at the hands to be out stealing things.”

Edward sighed, “Do you want me to also pick up some medical stuff?”

“...that would be appreciated yes.”

“I will see what I can do but I need to go. I am having some technical difficulty here. Goodbye.”

He hung up the phone and decided that the system was a lost cause. The alarms he had turned off should not reboot for another few hours so he decided to go find the girls and get the hell out of there while the going was good. He was only half way up the corridor when he phone started ringing again and he answered without looking. “What is it now Jon? I'm a little busy here.”

“ED!” Harleys' shouted loudly and Edward could hear her laboured breathing. “You need ta get outta here!” Edward could here her feet tapping furiously as she ran away from something. “COME ON RED! He's gonna catc-”

The phone cut off and Edward was left looking at it for a second before his instincts kicked in. He started to run full tilt for the nearest exit, if Harley and Ivy were panicking then he was inclined to follow them. He worked his way through the various rooms until he slid around a corner and was instantly smacked to the floor by something.

Sitting up groggily as he tried to get his bearings, he could faintly make out a large dark shape in front of him.

“You have got to be kidding me.” He moaned through gritted teeth as the figure approached him. He made a foolish attempt to stand up but he was too dizzy to even complete the simple task. “I don't suppose if I told you that Harley and Ivy are hiding out somewhere that you would simply just let me go.”

“I don't think so Nygma.” Batman spoke evenly as he removed a pair of handcuffs from the side of his belt. “I knew it wouldn't be long until you found yourself back in Arkham.”

Edward glared at the man before him as he vision continued to clear, “I swear that I am never offering assistance to anyone else in my life.”

 

 

 


	7. It's Pork Season!

Jonathan absent-mindedly started to rub his left temple with his fingers as he attempted to work through exactly what Harley and Ivy were telling him. “So, let me get this clear. The planned robbery which you two organised was interrupted by Batman and you both only managed to avoid being arrested by abandoning Edward and leaving him to be captured. Yes? Is that what you're telling me?”

“No!” Harley cried while Ivy nodded viciously. “We wouldn't leave Mistah E there without lettin' him know. I phoned him Doctah Crane, you've gotta believe me! Red is just being mean cause she doesn't like Ed.”

Ivy shrugged in agreement as Harley tried to explain herself to Jonathan.

“I don't suppose Edward gave either of you some burn cream or test tubes and asked you to deliver them to me before you betrayed him?” He asked nonchalantly.

“No Crane.” Ivy answered. “We didn't see him at all actually.”

“But you're certain that the Bat picked him up?”  
  
“Yes.”

“Great. Just great.” Jonathan sighed as he realised that he would actually have to take care of the house in Edwards absence.

Unless...

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

Six days. Edward had been stuck in the fresh hell that was Arkham Asylum for six days now.

If he were honest, it was not as bad as it could have been. The other criminals who were also enjoying a stay were individuals he got on relatively well with. Two-Face had been in here for a few months now and Killer Croc had only arrived the day before Edward.

Both Dent and Waylon were on good terms with Edward and since they were only allowed three hours together in the Arkham 'playroom' per day they had decided to pass the time by playing cards. They had been playing for around an hour at this point and Croc was doing surprisingly well and had amassed the largest pile of chips.

“Poker is boring with three players.” Croc growled as he accepted his cards. “We need fresh blood.”

“Everything is about blood when it comes to you Waylon.” Edward said as he finished dealing the cards, “What do you think Dent?”

“Couldn't hurt to ask someone else to join?” Dent shrugged as he examined his hand. “We could do with taking someone elses money for once. What about the pig man?” Dent was much calmer than usual due to the cocktail of medication which the asylum doctors had put him on. His gaze fell on one of the newest additions to the rogues gallery, Lazlo Valentine, alias Professor Pyg.

“No.” Edward shook his head. “He is insane and not in the way to which we are accustomed. He is too far gone to play a decent game of poker.”

The trio turned to look at Pyg as he sat on one of the soft armchairs which decorated the playroom.

“Not enough PCP.” Pyg whispered as he started to lick the ends of his fingers in a grotesquely lavish fashion, leaving long trails of saliva hanging from his mouth. “Everything is ugly and the colours are all wrong. THEY'RE ALL DISGUSTING AND WRONG!” He screamed as he jumped to his feet and rushed at the far wall before stopping suddenly and lying flat on the ground, completely motionless.

“Point taken.” Dent said as he continued to play his hand.

“How's Gilda?” Edward asked politely. “The word on the street is that you've been sighted with her a few times and people are talking. Trying to rekindle the old romance Harv?”

“People need to mind their own business.” Dent growled as he took offense to the gossip. “Maybe I should pay some people a visit to remind them of that fact.”

“Relax, Dent. I was only asking to be polite.”

Visibly deflating into his chair, he responded. “Gilda is...fine. We were going to make another go of it since I though I had my other side under control but that didn't last long. She says she's willing to wait but I don't want that for her.” His tone was sad and it was apparent to Edward that he was talking solely to the real Dent and not his big bad alternative.

He had always found the man to be quite the puzzle and both himself and Jonathan had spent quite a bit of time over the years discussing the various facets of the poor mans personality and their thoughts on how the dual identity worked.

“She's a good woman.” Croc added unexpectedly, “To try with you.”

Glancing at him in surprise, Edward decided to change the subject. “And what about you Waylon? How's life in your neck of the woods?” He winced internally as he examined his own cards, knowing that he was in for another awful round.

Croc let out a throaty laugh. “Apart from being stuck in this shithole, life's been good. I have a new lair in the sewers and it's directly under the Fifth Street bank.” He grinned wickedly until his entire row of sharp teeth were on display. “And i'm planning on paying a visit when i'm outta here. Still ain't got a girl tho.” He frowned. “It's kinda hard to meet someone when you look like a fucking crocodile.”

“I'm sure you'll find someone someday my reptilian friend.” Edward sighed as he placed his cards on the table and waited for the next round to begin.

“How's Crane?” Dent asked, making a subtle attempt to peek at Crocs' cards. “Last I heard you two were still offending Republicans up and down the country.”

“Is that a reference to the fact that we're both career criminals with numerous kills under our belts or that fact that we're having sex on rare occasion?” Edward replied evenly as he watched the two men continue to play. “Either way, Crane is fine. I don't see as much of him as everyone seems to think I do.” He lied.

As much as he did like Dent and Waylon, the less people who knew about the recent developments in his and Jons' relationship at the moment, the better.

“I still find it weird that anyone could find Crane attractive I mean, the guy spends his life getting off on being a creepy son of a bitch.” Dent kept one eye on Edward to see if he would react to his words. “It's weird Nygma and you know it.”

“Don't knock it til you've tried it Dent. He might be a 'creepy son of a bitch' but it's easy to forget that in the bedroom when he does this most wonderfully sinful thing with his tou-” He was interrupted by Pyg who had evidently decided to join the party.

“Babies! I NEED MUSIC. I can't work without music! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO MAKE THEM BEAUITFUL WHEN THEY WON'T PLAY THE MUSIC?” He squealed as he threw himself on top of the table and knocked the remainder of the cards onto the floor.

Croc growled at the unwanted intruder before licking his lips. “It's been months since i've had a decent piece of bacon.” He unconsciously started to stretch out his claws in preparation of a fight. “Just a little taste will see me through.”

“Leave it Croc. You'll get placed into solitary again.” Edward spoke quietly as he attempted to ignore the irritating nuisance in front of him who was now writhing on the table and mumbling something about a mothers hug.

Jumping up more quickly than anyone could anticipate, Pyg lunged forward and sunk his teeth into the back of Edwards hands.

“Ahh!” Edward squealed as he instinctively pulled his hand towards him. “How dare you!” He was livid. How dare that idiot touch him without permission.

Using his free hand he snatched the fat man up by him jumpsuit and threw him to the floor. Spying the approaching guards, he spoke quietly to Croc. “I take back what I said earlier Croc. It's pork season.”

Roaring victoriously, Croc launched himself at the figure on the floor and grabbed him by the throat. Edward felt arms wrap around him and yank him away from the fight as the guards finally reached the gambling threesome and he turned in time to see Dent receiving the same treatment. On the floor, around a dozen orderlies were trying to pry Croc away from Pyg who was screaming “HARDER! HARDER!” as Croc squeezed his throat. Realising that he was being dragged back to his cell, Edward called out to the other rogues, “So, same time tomorrow gentlemen?”

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

Having been forcefully returned to his cell, Edward was bored again.

As punishment for 'instigating' the playroom incident his room had been stripped of absolutely everything including his books and reading glasses. He was currently lying on the bed contemplating when would be the best time to arrange for an escape.

 _Maybe I will give it a full week?_ He thought. _I'll enjoy the peace and quiet for another few days and then I will start to plan my escape._

He heard a guard approaching his door and decided some mischief would cheer him up considerably. Waiting patiently for the guard to get close to the glass door, he took in a deep breath before announcing, “RIDDLE ME THIS” in his most cocky and arrogant tone, smirking in satisfaction as the guard flinched dramatically away from the glass.

“Watch it Nygma.” The guard said quietly as he banged his baton on the door, causing Edward to chuckle faintly and return to what he guessed passed for a bed in the Asylum.

It took over an hour for him to find a comfortable position and he was just settling into it when he felt a presence at the glass door again. Sighing in frustration he spoke without opening his eyes. “What is it now guard? Did you come back for another scare?”

“A scare you say?” Came a cold, dry voice from the other side of the glass. “Now that sounds like a real plan.”

His eyes flew open.

 


	8. Look, You Need To Come With Me.

Standing outside his cell with a bored look on his face was Jonathan in full costume, complete with scythe.

“Jon!” Edward called out excitedly as he stood up. “I did not know you had taken on a new job as an Arkham guard. You could have let me know if you needed the extra money.” He could not help taking a small jab at the tall man.

“Shut up Edward. Jervis tells me that we only have another ten minutes before the mind-control devices he planted on the guards wear off and I would like to be long gone from here before that happens.” Jonathan swiped the stolen keycard on the pad to open the glass doors and Edward walked out calmly.

“Jervis is waiting in the main reception for us.” Jonathan continued and started to return back down the hall when he felt Edward pull him back with a hand. “What, Edward?”

“I think the winged rat would be quite annoyed with this breakout. Do you think we should invite a few friends to this party to divide his attention?” Edward asked sweetly.

Jon smirked. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, Dent and Croc are currently incarcerated and I think it's only fair that they be given the chance to escape too. Oh and while I remember, Freeze is also locked up in solitary so if you want to ask him for a favour concerning your toxin it might be a good idea to help break him out too.”

Jonathan leaned against his scythe as he mulled over the options. “Okay. But we're going to need Jervis to lend a hand if we're going to make it out of here in time.” He gave Edward the spare keycard he was carrying. “Go fetch Jervis and release the others. I am going to make a personal call to Freeze.” He spun on his heel and disappeared up the side corridor towards the solitary confinement cells.

Watching him depart, Edward felt pleased that Jonathan had actually made the effort to break him out. He could have done it himself, mind you, but the effort from the other man was always appreciated. He jogged down into the main reception area to find Jervis and inform the other man of the new change in plans. “Jervis!” He called out quietly, attempting to locate the shorter man.

“Edward!” Jervis popped his head out from behind one of the computer screens. “How are you?” He asked in his high voice.

“I'm good Jervis. Look, you need to come with me. We need to help release Dent and Croc to keep the Bats' attention off of us while we make our grand escape.” Edward explained quickly. “How much longer do we have before your devices wear off?”

Jervis checked his larger-than-necessary watch. “About eight minutes. Lead the way doormouse!” He chirped as he gestured to Edward to return back to the cell block. Taking mild offence at being designated the 'doormouse', Edward sighed and started to walk quickly back to where his rogue colleagues were being kept. He used the keycard to release Dent first, who was lying on his cot watching the events outside unfold.

“Thanks Nygma.” He offered as he hurried away to the personal items lock-up to pick up his suit and guns.

Edward made a mental note to also stop by the lock-up since he had at least two good suits in there and he'd be damned before he let the asylum have them destroyed. Green suits were difficult to come-by and his usual tailor was out of town for a while.

He spotted Jervis. “Jervis! Can you retrieve my personal things from the lock-up please while I help out our crocodile friend?” Jervis nodded and ran out as fast as his little legs could carry him.

After watching Jervis leave, Edward moved across the corridor to Crocs' heavily strengthened cell and groaned when he took in the human/crocodile hybrids sleeping state. “WAYLON!” He called loudly. “Rise and shine Waylon!” Shooting up in his bed, Croc turned to see Edward opening his door to release him.

“I knew there was reason I never ate you.” Croc grinned.

“Uhh...thank you?” Edward offered. “But we need to leave now. We only have about five minutes before the moronic guards come to their senses.” Edward spotted Jervis running back with his arms full of Edwards' confiscated things.

He hurried to meet him and was delighted to find that Jervis had also picked up one of his older canes, the one with the stun-gun in the handle. “Splendid Jervis. Oh frabjous day. But we need to find Jon and leave.”

Jervis' eyes lit up at the reference and he replied. “If you want to go somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!” Edward was instantly filled with regret at making the Wonderland reference as he watched Jervis start to rhyme off more Alice in Wonderland quotes as they ran towards Jonathans' location. He suspected that he had just set off one of Jervis' episodes but he was far too tired to even begin to deal with that.

As they sprinted around a corner, Edward had to duck and pull Jervis to safety as Jonathans' scythe swung at them from nowhere. “Jesus Jon! You nearly had my handsome head there.” He ran a hand through his reddish hair to check that it was all in place

“Shame. Let's go.” Jonathan said, choosing to ignore Edwards dramatics. “We have less than two minutes to get past the guards at the gate.”

“How was Freeze?” Edward asked as he hopped inside the passenger side of the dark car which Jon and Jervis had 'acquired' for the nights festivities. “Did you organise something?”  
  
“We have a meeting arranged for next week.” Jonathan answered as he slid into the drivers seat. “Oh and before I forget, in exchange for Jervis' help here tonight I said he could move into your apartment with us for a week until his new lair is constructed. I only agreed because he hasn't had a 'Wonderland' phase in about a month.”

“I suppose that should be fine.” Edward started tentatively. “But, about the Wonderland thing...”

“Do not even tell me. We are hosting him for the week regardless.” They both glanced at the man in the backseat who was pouring imaginary tea into an imaginary cup and sipping from it. “Brilliant. Nice going Edward.”

“Shut up Jon. How was I supposed to know?” Edward sulked as the gate was opened by the guards. “Nicely timed though. We had exactly 56 seconds left before those guards went back to normal. I take it you spoke to Harley and Ivy?”

“They informed me of your incarceration and I got tired of having to keep the apartment clean so I was forced to break you out.” Jonathan drawled.

“Remind me to swing by Ivys' disgusting lair at some point. I have a cheque for $25,000 to collect and a couple of weeds to exterminate.” He scowled as he thought of the traitorous ladies. As the trio escaped in their newly-stolen car, Edward took one final look back at the Asylum as he wondered how far the other rogues had gotten. Jonathan coughed to get his attention and he turned back in his seat to face him. “Yes?”  
  
“You still owe me burn cream and test tubes.” Jonathan said quietly without taking his eyes off the road ahead.

Edward smiled. “Jonathan, for making the effort to spring me from Arkham without me even having to threaten you, i'll actually splash out and BUY you the nicest test tubes that money can buy in Gotham.”

 


	9. Everything Has A Price

“I am going to kill him Jon.” Edwards stated calmly as he sipped from his coffee mug, “I'm going to beat him to death with my cane and watch as the light leaves his eyes.”

“As much as I would vaguely like to see that Edward,” Jonathan spoke quietly as he read from his latest journal, “I do actually enjoy Jervis as a person and his mind-control technology is incredibly useful in many different situations. So I am going to ask you to refrain from murdering our house guest.” He peered at Edward over the top of his glasses as he spoke to the irate man.

“You had better have a word with him then because I am one Wonderland quote away from adding another murder charge to my name.” Edward mumbled.

Jervis had only been here for four days and already he was an absolute nightmare. Since his manic phase was set off in the Arkham escape he had spoken in pretty much nothing but Alice In Wonderland quotes and it was incredibly irritating when attempting to hold a normal conversation.

“Callooh callay!” Jervis squeaked as he appeared at the kitchen doorway. He was in full costume for some reason and Edward hoped that meant that he would be out the apartment today doing whatever it was he did when he was not around.

“Jervis.” Edward said through gritted teeth while Jonathan nodded politely. “What are your plans for today, my crazy little friend?”

“No wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise!” Jervis replied confidently as he walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the kettle. He tipped his hat off his head an extracted a small teabag from inside it which he then dropped into a teacup he had taken out of the overheard cupboard.

“Oh my god.” Edward whispered under his breath and Jonathan saw his hand twitching towards his cane which he had placed directly beside the table.

Kicking Edwards' leg sharply as a warning, Jon sighed quietly as Edward instantly stood up and threw a filthy look at him before striding out of the kitchen in a quiet fury. Jonathan heard the front door slam shut and he turned his eyes on Jervis who had taken Edwards' vacated seat.

“So Jervis, how much longer until your new lair is constructed?” Jonathan asked but his voice had a hard edge to it. He understood Edwards' frustration and he was also eager to see Jervis leave the apartment but for different reasons.

He had caught Jervis attempting to abduct a young blonde woman yesterday and bring her to the apartment. Jonathan had been forced to intervene and let the woman go, lest his and Edwards' new home become a possible target for the police or Batman. He had knocked the girl unconscious and left her in the doorway of a nearby half-way house for women and he threatened to gas Jervis if he even considered doing it again.

Telling Edward was out of the question, he would be absolutely furious since he seemed to genuinely love this apartment and Jonathan did not have the emotional energy or patience to deal with the fallout.

“A slow sort of country. Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.” Jervis nodded as he drank his tea. Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose as he struggled to keep his calm. His mind worked to decipher exactly what Jervis was trying to tell him.

“So it's still nowhere near ready then? I fail to believe that given how much you've paid for the work and the fact that you've been here for almost five days now. It's impossible.”

“I daresay you haven't had much practise. When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes i've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Tea spilled over the table as he waved his tea cup about frantically.

Moving his journal out of the splash zone, Jonathan realised that he might have to intervene in the new living arrangements because Jervis was beginning to seriously overstay his welcome.

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

Edwards' decision to leave the flat for a few hours was, in his opinion, the best decision he had made in days. He enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the Gotham park before finally getting to meet his real estate agent to discuss some properties he was renting out around Gotham. He also felt that he had finally managed to fix the Jervis problem and he was looking forward to returning home to see if he had been successful.

Using his key, he opened the door and was instantly met with Jonathan.

“Jervis is gone.” Jonathan said conversationally. “He recieved a call from his builder who informed him that his lair was finally complete and ready to be moved into.”

“Really?” Edward said feigning surprise. “That's fortunate.”

“It is. I was ready for killing the man myself so I suppose it was pure luck that his new home was finished just in the nick of time.”

“Fortune has smiled upon us, Jon. We should not question it.” Edward flopped down into the old couch dramatically. “Let us try to get things back to normal, with you being your usual bastard self and I being my usual brilliant self.”

“It is odd,” Jonathan said wryly, choosing to ignore Edwards' parting comment as he sat down on the couch next to him, “I was speaking to Jervis earlier and he was telling me that his apartment was nowhere near finished and yet you leave for a few hours and then it is suddenly up to scratch.”

Deciding to come clean, Edward laughed. “It is truly amazing how much faster people are willing to work when you wave $5,000 under their noses. Good old Gotham, where everything has a price.”

“I will reimburse you half of that,” Jonathan offered while Edward stretched his legs out across his lap, “since Jervis' stay here was originally at my invitation.” He moved Edwards' feet slightly so they weren't digging into his lap.

“Thank you, Jon.” Edward replied as he started to flick through the channels of the television. “But let's agree to never invite anyone to stay with us again. My delicate stomach can only take so much.”

 


	10. Symphony of Screams

 

 

“Do you promise to behave?” Jonathan asked as he adjusted his costume. He held out a foot to Edward in a silent request and Edward bent down to secure the old rags which were winding up around his legs. These were a newer addition to his costume as he enjoyed the effect they had on enhancing his rake-like frame since it really seemed to unsettle others. “I'm serious Edward. I need these chemicals tonight for my toxin and if I do not receive them then my plans will be unacceptably set back.” He gave the other man a piercing stare as he tried to convey his seriousness.

“When have you ever known me to misbehave Jon?” Edward finished his task and stood up again to admire his handiwork. “I am a model citizen. I even give to charity.”

Jonathan smirked. “Edward blowing up security vehicles so that you can steal money from them and then allowing the general public to fight over the scraps you leave does not constitute 'charity'.” He picked up his black fingerless gloves which he preferred to wear during the summer and slid his hands inside of them.

“You and I speak different languages as usual, Jon.” Edward quoted, satisfied with the work he had completed on the other mans costume. He picked up his cane and gave it an experimental twirl.

He had treated himself to a new cane to celebrate his escape from Arkham and he had designed this one to have the ability to protrude small spikes at the bottom at the press of a button. It was a step up from his usual 'beating' cane but he was desperate to try it out.

“However, I will try my hardest to not cause any trouble.”

“That does not fill me with confidence.” Jonathan sighed as he filled his belt with various items which he could use to dispel toxin. “So are we agreed on the plan then? It is very simple. We go. We collect the chemicals from Maronis' men. I pay. We leave. Even a genius like you should have no issues with any of that.”

Pausing his cane swinging to adjust his hat, Edward sent Jonathan an exasperated look. “I have already promised to behave so lets get going. Being late is rude.” He held open the front door for Jonathan to leave first.

“Thank you doorman.” Jonathan said politely as he slid past Edward.

Edward mumbled something under his breath in response before switching off the light, locking the door and following Jonathans' shadow through the hallway.

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

Once they arrived at the warehouse, they used the few minutes of spare time they had to do a quick sweep of the area to make sure that there were no surprises waiting in store for them. This precaution was unnecessary as they continued to wait for Maronis' minions to arrive with the chemicals that Jon needed.

“This is unacceptable. Over fifteen minutes late.” Edward spoke quietly as he checked his watch. “I think Maroni has forgotten who he is working with here.” Edward Nygma was blessed with many talents and skills but patience was not one of them.

“Quiet Edward. I think I can hear a car approaching.” Jonathan said quietly but he was also displeased with the lack of punctuality. He kept a hand loosely on his scythe as he watched the large black van slowly crawl towards them before stopping a few meters away. His keen hearing picked up a few whispers from the men as they vacated the van and he could tell that Edwards' presence at the deal had surprised them since they had not been informed of his involvement. Jonathan smirked, he always liked to have the upper hand.

“Evening gentlemen!” He called loudly through his burlap mask which scratched against his face comfortingly. “Did we get lost?”

The men mumbled again until one finally stepped forward, having decided to make himself the leader of the gang. “We're here now ain't we?” Jonathans' eyes narrowed at the blatant disrespect and he could feel Edward stiffen beside him.

“Riddle me this!” Edward said cockily. “What has a neck but no head?” He paused for a few seconds to allow the men to answer before speaking again “It's okay I can wait.”

“Umm....a bottle?” One of the men offered tentatively.

“A bottle!” Edward exclaimed. “Nice try sir but I had another answer in mind. The answer I was looking for was 'you'. You will all be missing your heads if you don't show myself and my partner here the proper respect which we have earned.” He smiled wickedly as he gestured to Jon who swiped a finger gently along the blade of his scythe in a threatening manner.

The men all visibly shuddered and one of them presented Jonathan with the case full of rare chemicals which he was paying Maroni to import for him. Jonathan briefly considered gassing the crew but decided that it might cause more issues that it would solve.

“Thank you Edward.” Jonathan said as he quickly checked the case to ensure that everything he had paid for was there. Satisfied, he handed over a smaller case filled with recently-stolen banknotes before handing off the chemicals to Edward for safe-keeping

“Is that us done?” Edward asked.

Jonathan nodded.

“Good.”

The man turned around and whispered loudly to the man beside him. “I'm sick of having to deal with the freaks for Maroni. I'm gonna request to be moved to the docks.”

Deciding that he had been more than lenient with the rude man Jonathan made the split-second decision to teach them all a lesson.

Jonathan brushed past Edward as he silently advanced towards the retreating crew and Edward felt something being pressed gently yet urgently into his hands. Instinctively, he clasped his hand around it and glanced down.

It was a small gas mask.

Moving slightly so that he was directly behind Jonathan and therefore out of the eyeline of the other criminals he quickly placed the gas mask over his own face. He secured the straps just in time to hear a faint hissing noise and he knew that Jonathan had deployed one of his fear grenades. Glancing up, he watched as the half-dozen men dropped to the ground as the gas stung their eyes and disorientated them.

The sounds of screams soon filled the empty warehouse as Jonathan stood passively watching the men writhe around the floor.

Edward waited a minute before tearing his own mask off when he felt it would be safe to do so.

“I must say Jonathan, I am surprised it took you as long as it did to gas these morons.” Edward spoke loudly over the screaming men, pausing slightly to kick the main leader firmly in the ribs as the man squealed like a child. “In these times, the average brutish criminal has absolutely no respect for us geniuses and it is only fair they be reminded of their place. That said, I am slightly disappointed that I didn't get to use this baby.” He held up his cane mournfully.

“I'm sure it won't be long until your cane is found buried in some fools cranium.” Jonathan walked forward to snatch his money-case from the ground. “This has been a productive night overall. I got my chemicals for free and I also got to test out my new toxin.” He removed his hat and pulled the burlap from his face.

“And I behaved! What do I get as a present for being so good?” Edward winked.

“I have an idea or two.” Jonathan growled as he threw his hat and mask to the side as he slid towards Edward . “The night is young and i've always wondered what it would be like to seduce someone while a symphony of screams plays out delicately in the background.” Jonathan snatched Edwards' hat off his head and threw it on top of his own.

“Just so we are clear, that statement was a little messed up, Jon.” Edward replied honestly as he shimmied his arms out of his green jacket.

Jonathan paused unbuttoning his shirt to level a stare at Edward, “This criticism coming from the man currently holding a cane with a mace in one end of it?”

“Touche,” Edward smirked as he pulled the older man towards him, “alright you've convinced me.”

 


	11. Don't Be Coy Dear.

“So you both actually slept together in front of six terrified and screaming men?” Selina stirred her martini with the small toothpick which sat inside it, “That's a little bit kinky Ed. Wouldn't have guessed that you had that in you.”

“What can I say Selina,” Edward winked at her, “maybe that is your influence?”

“Somehow I doubt that our one night of passion over a decade ago is still inspiring you to be a dirty little imp.” Selina countered as she raised her glass to clink it with Edwards' own glass of top-notch whiskey. “But how is life with Jon anyway? The last time we met I am pretty sure I scarred him for life. Literally. However, to be fair, he did try to dose me with his toxin.”

“I think Jon needs a reminder from time to time that his toxin is not the solution to all of his problems in life.” Edward agreed as he downed his glass and signalled to the barkeep for another.

It had been too long since he and Selina had enough free time to have a decent night out together and he was going to enjoy it. Of all the rogues he had known in his life, Selina was the one he shared the longest relationship with since they both arrived on the scene at around the same time.

The fact that they had slept together once after a shared plan gone terribly had not affected the friendship they developed and if Edward had to trust another rogue, minus Jon, with something important it would be her, “We are doing well. If you excuse the occasional fight and the odd gassing here and there. It would appear than Jonathan Crane is actually not that bad to live with, I mean, that has been over a month now.”

“I am impressed. I never had you down as the domestic type.”

“Do not be coy dear. Trust me, it is anything but domestic bliss but it is rather...nice.” He stroked his chin gently. “Although, we did have a bit of a disagreement earlier and I am about 70% sure I am going home to a very pissed off Jon since I may or may not have ran out halfway through the argument to come meet you.”

“Regardless of that, I am happy for you, Eddie.” Selina smiled warmly. “It's nice to see you so chirpy and less irritating than usual.”  
  
“Careful Lina, you'll ruin my good mood.” Edward chastised softly. “And how is the winged rat these days? I owe him one for tossing me in Arkham a few weeks back.”

“Batman? I wouldn't know.” Selina was aloof. “I'm not his keeper.”

“Oh come on Selina! I know you better than that! You and the Batman have been on and off for years. Are you trying to tell me that you honestly haven't seen him? You are not the best liar.”

“Remember that time I knocked you flat out in Rome for irritating me? Yeah, I'm kinda feeling a repeat of that event coming on.” She said calmly as she extended her fingers menacingly.

“In that case I shall take the hint and drop the subject of the Bat then shall I?” He smiled. “Oh and before I forget, I have those blueprints you wanted.” He reached under the table and pulled out a small file which he slid over to her side of the table. “The Gotham museum, eh? What delightful treasures are we pilfering this evening then?”

“I have a client who is willing to pay a lot of money for a certain ancient dagger which the museum is currently hosting.” Selina explained. “How could I resist?”

Edward laughed. “Excellent my dear. Your skills as a thief are incredible and I hope that by getting you those blueprints I might have earned the use of them for a potential project I have planned for the future?” He batted his eyelashes at her demurely.

“Flattery Ed? Really?” Selina sighed. “But okay. Depending on the project I might be able to lend a claw.”

“Thank you, Lina.” Edward winked at her roguishly and downed the remainder of his drink.

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

Jonathan fumed silently as he worked in the basement.

Edward was lucky that he had a meeting with Selina tonight otherwise he would most likely be upstairs in a fear toxin-induced terror. It was stupid, arguing over something as simple as shopping but Edwards' ability to turn a simple conversation into a fight was almost impressive. At least usually they could solve their differences with a little bit of mutual violence but Edward had left halfway through the fight and now Jonathan was left filled with an angry energy.

In his distracted state, he swung his hand to the side to pick up a dropper and accidentally knocked the rack of test tubes which were perched next to the side of the table. His eyes widened in horror as he watched the various tubes drop the floor and explode, leaving him engulfed in a cloud of various chemicals and toxins.

Choking on the cloud, he dropped to his knees as his own toxin began to take effect on him.

Jonathan could feel the fear starting to take over his body and he started to hyperventilate as he lay on the ground. He soon felt himself starting to lose control of his body and he knew he would not win this fight. As his eyes shut his jerky movements stopped instantly.

He was completely still for a minute before his hand twitched and his eyes shot open again.

Standing up slowly, he took in the area around him before stretching out cockily. “Oh, Jonny boy!” He spoke lowly, voice hissing. “What have you gone and done to yourself now.” It had been far too long since Scarecrow had been in full control of the body and he was almost giddy with this turn of events.

As he was deciding what to do with his night, he heard a small noise from upstairs which he assumed was Edward returning from his meeting with Selina.

Slinking into the darkness, he was hit with the sudden urge to severely punish Edward for all the perceived slights the man had taken against him. He glanced at the room around him as he quickly formed a plan to hurt the younger man. It wasn't very often these days that the Scarecrow got to play and he was going to make the most of it while he could. He hid his body underneath the dark stairs and lay in wait.

Soon enough, he heard the basement door open.

“Jon? Are you in?” Edward called and there was a pause as he waited for a response. Hearing none, he decided to check downstairs anyway just in case Jonathan was being deliberately difficult since their earlier argument.

“Jon, are you being childish?” He asked as he descended the stairs. “Lets not be petty dear. I've had a good night and I am not in the mood for another fight.” He stood at the bottom of the stairs and squinted into the dingy room.

“Joooonath-AGH!” He cried, slumping to the ground as he was struck harshly on the side of the head.

Dropping the piece of old pipe which he was holding, Jonathan grinned as he started dragging Edwards' unconscious body towards the centre of the room.

“Sorry Eddie, but Jonathan isn't here right now. I, however, am more than happy to oblige in his absence.”

 

 


	12. Fear of Failure

Consciousness came to Edward slowly.

He could feel his head pounding from the unexpected blow he had received at the foot of the stairs and as he attempted to sit up, he was disturbed to find that he couldn't actually move from his position. Opening his eyes, he was confronted with absolute darkness and he realised that he had been blindfolded.

Not good.

He felt his panic start to rise as he struggled to work out what exactly could have happened. He remembered coming home and leaving his cane in the bedroom before heading down to the basement to speak to Jonathan.

Jonathan.

Edward was hit with the sudden concern that something had happened to his partner. If someone had been lying in wait for him to come down the stairs then they could have also possibly attacked Jonathan too. He tried both his wrists to see if he could shimmy them loose but was forced to admit that he was restrained too tightly to make any kind of escape. He strained his ears for any sign of life and he could faintly hear someone shuffling around behind him. “Hello?” He tried, deciding that he could not really accomplish anything until he knew what he was up against.

The blindfold was ripped from his face, which disturbed the swelling he could feel developing on his head where he had been hit and he made a soft noise of discontent. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light above him he realised that he was stuck in the dentist chair which he had gifted Jon with as a 'moving in' present.

He turned to the side and sighed in relief when he saw Jon standing directly beside him, looking at him passively. “Jon! I can't tell you the last time I was this happy to see you. Cut me free. Someone attacked me whe-” His voice was cut off my Jon placing a gentle finger against his lips.

“Be quiet.” Jonathan whispered before giggling and Edward was instantly put on high-alert as his instincts told him that something was very wrong with the other man.

Edward had known Jonathan long enough to be able to keep up with the mans various moods and he felt the cold thrill of complete fear as he looked directly into Jonathans' eyes and the malice and madness which was reflected within them.

This definitely was not good.

Those were eyes which Edward had not seen in a long time.

“Jonathan. I know we discussed maybe spicing up our sex life with a couple of new ideas but this is a bit...uhh, advanced for me.” He gestured to the situation with his head. “So how about you untie me and we can go upstairs and have a nice meal or something? How about it? Jon?” He could hear the slight desperation in his own tone and he mentally cringed.

“Oh Eddie. You know as well as I do that Jonathan is not here at the moment. He is inside dealing with some very real fears of his own.” Jonathan pointed at his own head and Edward felt any hope he had of this situation ending without trouble extinguish instantly as he was faced with the awful reality that his instinct was right.

Scarecrow was completely in charge of Jonathans' body at the moment.

He had only been witness to one of Jonathans' complete mental breaks before and it had been a very unpleasant experience. A drug deal gone wrong had resulted in a spillage of gas and a bullet lodging itself into Jonathans' side and the shock of it had sent Jon into the depths of his own mind and brought out the full wrath of the Scarecrow, Jons' final defense mechanism.

Edward Nygma was not a squeamish man, he had beaten his own father to death without even blinking an eye, but the memories of what Jon had done to those dealers with his scythe had always remained with him.

“Jo-Scarecrow?” Edward corrected himself, hoping to stay on his psychotic partners good side for at least a while. The last time Scarecrow had appeared he had not actually acknowledged Edwards' existence at all since his rage was focussed elsewhere and yet now he was trapping him the basement. “What happened?”

“Johnny got himself good with a dose of his own toxin.” Jonathan giggled again as he adjusted something to the side of Edward. “Too slow with the mask, so he had to leave for a bit.”

Despite his fear, Edward had to analyse the situation.

Scarecrow was Jons' very last line of defense against the world. It had served Jonathan well in his early years as an assassin for hire, ensuring that the task was completed no matter the cost, but as he had grown and matured out of his early years he had made a confession that he now had little need for the Scarecrow and found the lack of control distasteful.

But he continued to exist. Buried away deep within the scientist.

It was Edwards' understanding that if Jon was dosed while alone and mentally calm, he could generally fight it off with a great amount of effort, however a full dose of toxin mixed with any level of agitation against another individual resulted in him losing complete control to his fabricated personality.

A fabricated personality which only served to cause the utter destruction of its perceived enemies.

As he mused, Jonathan appeared before him again with a needle in one hand.

“Scarecrow! Jonathan, don't!” Edward took in the needle with wide eyes, silently praying that it would not end up in his system. His prayers were short-lived as Jonathan slid it quickly into his neck and deposited the full dose causing Edward to flinch violently.

“What the hell did you just inject me with?”

“A special blend, Eddie. Won't cause hallucinations but will cause panic. Pupil dilation, frantic heartbeat, increased sweating, the works.” He smiled and moved his face directly in front of Edwards'. “Doesn't it sound fun?”

“Not really.” Slumping, Edward started to sigh but gasped in pain as Jonathan grabbed his hair and forced his head upwards. Jonathans' fingernails were digging into the fresh wound on his head and he tried to lessen the pressure by jerking his head to the left.

“Try not to be so negative, Eddie. We have never had an opportunity to spend any time together since Johnny is so careful to keep the reigns. He likes to keep you and all his little friends to himself.” He waved his finger childishly before dragging his nail down the side of Edwards' face, causing a red mark to appear instantly.

“That's because you're a fucking psychopath.” Edward spat as his patience finally snapped.

Without breaking eye contact, Jonathan raised his spindly hand and brought it across Edwards' face as hard as he could and Edward was convinced he heard his nose break. As the blood spurted down his face, he momentarily mourned the loss of the shirt he was wearing. “Let me go Jon.” He said, putting on his most dangerous sounding voice in the hope that this new tactic would help his situation.

“No.” Came the simple reply.

Using one hand to caress Edwards cheek gently, he used the other to bring forward the small table which sat beside the dentist chair. Edward felt his panic spike again as he took in the various surgical tools which lay across it, sudden regret welling up inside him at having even bought the damn things in the first place.

“You and I are going to get to know each other a whole lot better.”

Picking up one of the scalpels from the table, Jonathan used it to prick the edge of his own finger to show how sharp it was. His finger began to bleed instantly and he licked the wound to seal it up again while Edward grimaced at how unsanitary the action was.

He shuddered as he watched Jonathan use the scalpel to cut through the wrists of his shirt and drag it up until it reached his elbow before cutting it at either side, carefully avoiding the restraints. He moved the fabric so that Edwards entire forearm was exposed before moving to do the same to the opposite side. “Jon. Please don't.” Edward begged as he made another futile attempt to free himself from the chair.

“Hush little baby don't say a word.” Jonathan crooned as he lay the scalpel flat against Edwards' left forearm. Maintaining direct eye contact with the bound man he quickly drew the scalpel across the arm just deep enough for it to bleed but not deep enough to do any lasting damage. Edward bit his tongue to keep in his pained moan and Jonathan scowled at the silence. He used his free hand to press down harshly on the bleeding wound and smiled as that elicited a small groan. “See how much easier this is when you play along darling? Lets see what happens on the other side.”

He stood behind Edward as he reached forward and made an identical cut on the right forearm. Edward hissed in pain this time and he could feel the fresh blood running down his arms in small steady streams and collecting on his clenched palms.

Whatever chemicals Jon has injected him with were doing their job as all he could feel was panic and fear and he held eye contact with Jonathan, feeling a mild revulsion as he watched the older mans' pupils dilate in pleasure.

 _He really is getting off on this_ , Edward thought and he felt his stomach turn. Jonathan kept his stare as he made another few slow incisions on Edwards exposed arms while the younger man trembled and gasped in pain. Edward never gained any pleasure from pain but a childhood filled with physical abuse had, depressingly, left him somewhat used to it.

But this was different, this was not typical abuse.

This was torture.

Jonathan decided to step things up a notch, he moved in close and placed a bruising kiss on Edwards' mouth while moving the scalpel subtly towards his chest. He could feel Edward resisting the kiss and he broke away while simultaneously dragging the scalpel through Edwards shirt and across his stomach.

The long gash was slightly deeper than intended but it had the desired affect as Edward was unable to hold in his scream this time at the unexpected cut. He saw black spots appearing in his vision as he threatened to pass out. Picking up on this, Jonathan used the flat of his hand to harshly slap the side of his face a few times to try and keep him conscious, which also reopened the wounds on both his head and nose.

“Pat-a-cake. Pat-a-cake. Bakers man.” He started crooning again as he placed the scalpel back down on the table. “Bake me a cake as fast as you can.” He picked up a long needle-like pin. “Pat and prick it and mark it with 'B'.” He quickly cleaned the pin with some rubbing alcohol and Edward closed his eyes. “And put it in the oven for baby and me.” He jabbed the pin directly into the back of Edwards' hand and the younger man let out another pained moan as he came to an unwilled alertness.

His hand felt like it was on fire and the urge to rub it was overwhelming.

Even through his pain and terror, Edward still felt the need to appeal to Jonathan.

“Jon, please stop. This isn't you and you know it. You're going to end up killing me Jon.” He felt dizzy and suspected that the blood loss might be to blame and he felt tears prick at his eyes as he realised that this might actually be it. He never thought that Jon could bring himself to kill him in cold blood but he knew that the Scarecrow would.

“Do you really think Jonathan cares about you?” Jonathan changed his tactics to bring more misery down on the hurting man. “Jon doesn't care about anyone. And if he did, do you actually think it would be you? The man whose own mother abandoned him as a child and who's father was the only person to see him for what he truly is? Poor Eddie. Unloved by all in a world which he tries so hard to make notice him. A failure of man. The fear of failure, atychiphobia is the term for it, and you Eddie are a failure.”

The ghosts of his past assaulted Edward as he was forced to listen to Jonathans' words.

He knew it was the Scarecrow talking and not Jon and that the words were intended to hurt him. But one of the cons of Jonathan being an excellent psychiatrist was that it was working and Edward was failing miserably to prevent the misery which decorated his battered face.

Jonathan moved in close and placed the faintest kiss on Edwards' temple as the remaining fight seemed to leave the younger man. Sensing victory, Jonathan disappeared behind Edward and he could be heard quietly moving around various items.

“Jonny-boy is trying really hard to get to you Eddie so it'll all be over soon,” Edward heard Jonathan whisper and he shut his eyes in relief, “but before that I have one or two things still to do.”

He felt Jonathans' presence around his right and he heard an odd 'whooshing' noise so he cracked open a sore eye.

At the sight before him he started to yell and plead. “No! NO! NO! JON NO! FOR GODS SAKE JON! PLEASE?!” Fear fuelled the pure adrenaline which was now coursing through his veins as he watched Jonathan stalk towards him with a small blowtorch in his hand. He started to hyperventilate as he cried furiously and attempted to throw himself away from the open flame.

Jonathans' approach was cut short by the appearance of a large section of pipe which appeared from nowhere and smashed into the side of his skull, knocking him clean out and throwing him to the floor, unmoving.

Groaning weakly, Edward was unable to keep the shock from his face as he turned his head to face the area where the pipe had appeared from. Emerging from the darkness, he was able to see Selinas' horror-stricken eyes as she approached the chair.

“Jesus Christ, Ed.” She whispered as she started to gently undo the restraints. “What did you let him do to you?”

“Not much choice...fear toxin.” He spoke brokenly as he tried to remain conscious. “Not Jon...Scarecrow. Scarecrow did this.”

“Shhhh Ed. Try to save your energy until I can get you to the car.” She slid her arm around his body and slowly brought him to his feet, consciously trying not to disturb the deep chest wound he had sustained.

She was unsettled by how strongly he was leaning against her and the volume of blood which covered him and she suspected that he would pass out at any second. “I'm going to take you somewhere safe until you're better, are you okay with that?”

Edward opened his mouth to respond but felt what remained of his strength leave him as the blood loss caught up with him. His knees buckled and he was once again sent into the darkness.

 


	13. You've Already Done Enough Damage

“How long was I out for?” Edward asked, his voice sounding rough as he gulped down some of the water which Selina was holding out for him. He had faint memories of voices speaking in hushed ones above him while he was in and out of consciousness but he was too confused and delirious to make out the conversations. His body felt achy all over and judging from the healing on his wounds, he suspected that he had been unconscious for at least a day or two.

“Three days.” Selina replied evenly as she watched him drink. “After I brought you here I was able to stitch up your wounds. You'd lost a lot of blood so I tried to be as careful as possible but I was too late to prevent infection from setting in and you developed a serious fever which almost killed you.” She hesitated slightly. “I had to call in for some support to stop you from dying.”

Edward winced as he realised how close to death he had actually come. “Who did you call in for help?” He was curious as to who Selina could convince to save his life since he wasn't exactly the most popular man around town and as far as he knew Selina didn't make friends with many surgeons. “Thomas Elliott?”

Hush was the only person who Edward knew who could have the surgical skills to possible save his life. He regretted the question instantly as Selinas' face changed at the mention of the madman who had, literally, stolen her heart.

“As if.” Selina hissed as her hand subconsciously traveled to her chest before her face softened again. “Harley and Ivy.” Selina grimaced as Edward narrowed his eyes. “And before you even start, I would not have been able to save you without their help so whatever issues you have I don't actually care. Ivy was the one to administer the medication which cured your fever before it could kill you, she used some odd mix of herbs which she injected directly into your system.”

“You let her inject me! Selina! She could have killed me easily!” Edward called loudly.

“And I would have. But Harley convinced me not to.” Ivys' breathy voice called out from the doorway. “A little gratitude would be appreciated.” Edward humphed in discontent but nodded thankfully to her anyway.

“Ivy!” Selina said in surprise. “Why are you back?”

“I left some of my things here when you called me to save the imp. I just wanted to come back and collect them. Did you tell him Crane stopped by yet?” She asked politely.

Selina sent her a glare before replying through gritted teeth, “No Pamela. I hadn't gotten around to that yet.”  
  
“Jonathan was here?” Edward exclaimed. “What happened?” Selina opened her mouth to respond as she recalled the meeting which took place the previous day.

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

Selina knew it would only be a matter of time before Jonathan appeared at her door.

Edward had been unconscious for almost two days now and although his condition was improving, she didn't want Jonathan anywhere near him until she was certain that he was safe.

She steeled her nerves before opening the door.

“Let me in Selina. I need to see him.” Jonathan growled as he attempted to move past the stubborn feline and enter the apartment.

Using the flat of her hand to push him back into the hallway, Selina could detect the smell of cheap bourbon on his breath and given the current state of Edward she wasn't willing to risk a confrontation.

“Selina-” He started again.

“No, Crane. Not right now.” Selina countered softly hoping that he would take the hint and leave of his own accord. “Edward is in no fit state to see you at the moment.”

“I have every right to see him. Move aside, child.”

“Jonathan. Don't start. When Ed is able to consciously choose to see you I will be the first to let you know.”

Jonathan narrowed his eyes and went to push Selina out of the way again when Ivys' voice rang out from behind her.

“I wouldn't do that if I was you, Crane.” Ivy purred as her vines swayed around her dangerously. “This is Selinas' home and if she doesn't want you here then you're not welcome. Don't you think you've already done enough damage?” She smirked viciously as Jonathans' bloodshot eyes narrowed at her tone. “Do you want me to tell him Lina? About how you actually had to ask for my help to keep the imp breathing after the damage _he_ inflicted on him? Or why don't we tell Jonathan about the special injections I had to put into Edwards' system just to keep the infection he developed from his injuries from killing him?”

“Leave it Pam.” Selina called out loudly as she watched Jonathan flinch at the last statement. “Go back into the kitchen and i'll be with you in a minute. Alone.” Ivy smiled one final time before disappearing behind the door again. Selina watched her leave before turning back to Jonathan whose anger had deflated considerably.

“Is it true?” He asked quietly, giving her a piercing stare.

Selina was taken aback by the genuine look of urgency in his eyes and she nodded in confirmation.

Seeing her nod, Jonathan stood silently for a few seconds before speaking again. “Will he be okay? Will he survive,” he avoided her gaze this time, “unharmed?”

“Yes, Jonathan. He just needs time to get back to full strength but he is mentally sound. I will let him know you came by when he wakes up.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don't know what happened between you both but it's Edwards choice as to if and when he wants to meet you.”

Jonathan glanced at the hand on his shoulder before looking at Selina again. “Thank you.” He mumbled as he turned around and made his way towards the exit.

She watched him leave with an odd look on her face.

She wasn't used to Jonathan being so downtrodden, he usually had a passively calm yet threatening demeanour about him and she struggled to recall a time when that wasn't the case. The incident with Edward must be affecting him pretty badly and Edwards' insistent voice in the basement that Scarecrow, not Jon, was responsible echoed in her ear.

Selina was no psychology expert, that field held no interest to her so she was able to admit to herself that she wasn't entirely sure how the divide between Jonathan and Scarecrow worked, she had never even viewed the latter at work, but she took some consolation in the fact that the man seemed legitimately disturbed by the events he had inadvertently created.

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

“He wanted to see you but I managed to keep him out.” Selina began tentatively. “He had been drinking and I wanted to avoid a confrontation.”

Edwards' eyebrows rose, Jonathan did enjoy the occasional glass of whiskey or hard spirit but he was not a 'drinker'.

“He tried to barge past me but Ivy stopped him. She, uhh, might have given him some details about your condition which seemed to have a real effect on him. He looked upset.” Edward nodded, face completely blank, and encouraged her to go on. “That was it really, the last thing he asked me was to confirm that you were physically and mentally sound and to make sure that you were okay.”

Edwards' gaze become unfocussed as he considered what Selina was telling him. Ivy had left as soon as Selina started to speak, leaving the pair of them in peace. He had suspected that Jon might react badly to the situation when he came to his senses but this calm sadness unsettled him a little since it was not what he was expecting.

He caught Selina giving him a questioning glance and he sighed as he lay back against the bed. “My issue with Jonathan is something which I will need to discuss with him sooner rather than later, but they can wait until I am fully healed up and ready to confront him.”

Selina nodded in response and the two sat in companionable silence, each preoccupied by their own thoughts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand i'm back from my holiday! I felt bad leaving y'all with a cliffhanger but i'm cruel like that.


	14. Were You Concerned For Little Old Me?

“If you use up all my hot water again i'm going to throw you out on your ass, Nygma!” Selina called out as she rattled the bathroom door. “I'm serious Ed.” If she went without hot water for another day, she would not be held responsible for her actions.

“ _Those fingers in my hair, that sly 'come hither' stare_ ,” Edward sang as he pointedly ignored the voice shouting at him from outside the bathroom, “ _That strips my conscious bare, it's witchcraft!_ ”

Selina eyed the door ruefully as she heard his deep voice sing back at her and huffed as she walked away from the door.

It took around another ten minutes for him to emerge wearing black pyjama bottoms and a towel wrapped around his neck. “Uhh, Selina dear.” He said in a falsely sweet voice. “I think I might have torn my stitches a little, would you be an angel and patch me up please?”

Selina glanced at his pale abdomen which was bleeding slightly and indicated for him to sit beside her. She sighed as she grabbed her medical kit from under the couch and started to prepare to fix the torn flesh, taking in the view a little as she did. Edward was not a muscular man but he was toned and it was clear to her trained eye that he had a decent amount of wiry strength which he could utilise at a moments notice.

She smirked as she noted how tan her hands looked next to his pale chest. “Ed the friendly ghost. The last time I saw you this pale was immediately after the Arkham City debacle.” She quipped while administering the first stitch.

“Concentrate please Selina.” He grimaced. “And you try being forced to walk in circles for hours before realising that you'd been set-up.” A scowl settled on his face as he remember the events.

Arkham City had been dismantled for two years but the lasting effects of the experiment were still being felt in Gotham and Edward was keen to forget the entire mess. “Please restrain yourself from being distracted by my God-like physique long enough to complete the task at hand. Plus, I don't think my other half would be pleased if I found myself with a new admirer.” He winced as Selina continued to sew him up.

“So you still have a 'other half' then?” Selina tried to keep her voice as even and free of emotion as possible. Since she had revealed to him the details of Jonathans' visit they hadn't really mentioned the good Dr. Crane and Selina did not want to be the one to bring the topic up.

“I'm not entirely sure. I won't know for certain until we have discussed a few facts and, lets face it, there is going to be a lot to discuss.”

“Could you be with him again after what he did to you?”

“That is a complicated question, Selina. Technically yes, Jonathan did this to me but there is so much more to it than that. I am not fully aware myself of how the Scarecrow dynamic works, how aware Jon is of the events or even how much future danger I could be in should it happen again.”

Selina nodded to indicate that she was finished.

“I have questions that need answered and if I do not get the answers I need then I have no way of knowing what the outcome will be.”

“Just try not to end up in that state again Ed. I can't afford to be making new friends at this stage in life.” She stood up as she admired her handiwork. Years of self-administered first aid had made her quite the talented seamstress and she had kept the stitches as small as possible.

“Aww Selina. Were you worried for little old me?” Edward grinned but his smile soon disappeared as he took in the seriousness of Selinas' expression. “Oh. You actually were.”

Edward was touched by her concern. Selina always put up a front of being cold-hearted but Edward had come to find out over the years that that was not exactly true. “Thank you, Lina.” He said sincerely. “Seriously, I owe you one for all this. If you need anything in the future, just ask and i'll do my best.” He touched her hand gently to emphasise his point.

Selina smiled at the hand as she walked towards the kitchen. “Sure Ed. Can you do me a favour right now and put on the TV please, the news has just started and I like to keep up to date.” Edward chuckled as he switched it on but Selina heard him gasp as he took in the days news in Gotham.

“What's wrong?”

“It seems my 'other half' has been a very busy man today.” Edward replied and his voice sounded strange.

Looking at the TV, Selina was able to read the main headline scrolling across the bottom of the screen which read 'FEAR TOXIN ATTACK IN GOTHAM MUSEUM! PRECIOUS ARTWORK STOLEN!' and they both watched as the flustered news anchor reported on the story.

“...was released into the buildings ventilation system. Sources indicate that the criminal Jonathan Crane, also known as Scarecrow, was spotted on the scene and seems to be responsible. The artwork stolen has been confirmed as the newly-arrived Rinaldo Bianchi piece which was due to be displayed from next week onwards. Thus far no fatalities have been confir-”

“That's...very unlike Crane.” Selina commented as she watched the story unfold. “Since when did Jonathan become a thief? Better than that, when did he become an art connoisseur? Edward? Ed?” She looked at Edward, who had went unusually quiet as he stared at the screen.

Breaking from his mild trance, Edward gave Selina a small smile. “I think Jon is trying to publically apologise to me in the best way he knows how.”

“By stealing artwork?”

“Not just any artwork. Did you know that Bianchi is my favourite artist of the pre-renaissance era? I mentioned it off-hand to Jon once while we were planning a bank robbery a few years ago and apparently he remembered. This is his way of apologising without actually apologising.” He looked back at the TV as he contemplated the other mans actions and what they meant.

“So instead of buying a simple 'I'm sorry my alter-ego attempted to murder you' card and a small box of chocolates, he elected to steal a $65million painting instead? That's a little excessive.”

“And he has the gall to accuse me of being the over-dramatic one.”

“I will admit that I am a little impressed but does this change anything between you?” Selina rose an eyebrow at Edward as she waited for an answer.

“One the one hand, no because I still need answers about exactly what happened that night and how this impacts us. But on the other hand, the man literally stole a $65million painting for me to hang inside my $2000 a month apartment. That's got to be worth something and since I am pretty much fully healed now, I think it's about time I found out what.”

 

x-x-x-x-x

 

Edward made the decision to leave while Selina was out.

He knew that she would not consider it rude and even if she did, the $50,000 cheque he left on her bedroom dresser would be sure to cover any offence she might take to his disappearing act.

It was time to meet with Jonathan and he had a very good idea of where the good doctor would be hiding out.

He felt apprehensive as he approached his apartment and he attempted to organise his thoughts into a cohesive line of questioning. The knowledge that Jon had went to such lengths to try and impress him gave him hope that something could be worked out but it was still far too early to tell.

Turning his key in the door, Edward walked back inside his own apartment. Pretty much everything was exactly as he had left it with the noted exception of the new Bianchi painting which had been hung delicately on the feature wall opposite the kitchen. He took his time to remove his jacket and gloves and put them away before heading into the kitchen to speak to the man he knew would be waiting for him in there.

Deciding that he couldn't put it off any longer, he entered the kitchen and sat down in the one vacant seat which was sat on the opposite side of the table.

“Hello Jon.” He said evenly.

“Hello Edward.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I specifically referenced Arkham City in this chapter because this series takes place after the events of both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City and i realised that i hadn't really mentioned that in previous chapters :/ It's important to note since the events in City will have a real influence on some later plotlines. The only difference is that i have the Joker as being alive (so he's still kicking about somewhere. Being a wee dick.)
> 
> If you haven't played the games then it doesn't actually matter that much since everything will be explained :)


	15. I Don't Want To Have To Kill You

“How are you feeling today?” Jonathan enquired as he subtly tried to scan Edwards' entire frame for evidence of any lingering injuries.

He kept his face as blank as possible but on the inside he felt restless as he recognised the importance of this meeting and its impact on their shared future. If Edward decided that he wanted nothing further to do with him then he would accept the rejection and leave immediately but a great part of him hoped that it would not come to that. He had grown somewhat accustomed to his current lifestyle.

Noticing Jonathans' searching gaze, Edward answered in a calm voice. “I am as fine as can be. Some stiffness in my left arm and I can't move my stomach too quickly but aside from that I will live.” He caught Jonathans' eye and they stared at each other for a few moments, waiting for the other to start talking.

The silence began to stretch out and Edward realised that he would have to be the one to break it.

Placing one hand on the table, he ran the other through his auburn hair.

“I want you to know Jon that I don't know what's going to happen here. Everything is dependent on how this conversation goes. I want to start by saying that I am not a stupid man, Jonathan Crane. I have always been aware of the fact that the life I have chosen will probably lead me to an early grave. A stray bullet could easily take me out mid-robbery or maybe one day the Dark Knight will finally break and simply choose to snap my neck, but I have come to terms with those possibilities.”

He paused.

“Even when I entered into this relationship with you, I knew it would be dangerous. I have seen the damage you can do as you have seen what I can do. Every time we have a serious disagreement there is always a chance that one of us could kill the other. All it takes is one misplaced needle or severe head injury given in a fit of rage and then that is it. Game over for us.”

“But what you did that night wasn't an act of rage or passion, it was cold and premeditated and that is what I cannot accept. You tortured me Jonathan and if I am ever faced with that situation again I will kill you before you even get the opportunity to lay a finger on me. I do not want to kill you, I never have, but I will if you force me to. Jonathan Crane I can handle, but the Scarecrow is a different matter. You have kept him under wraps for so many years and yet he breaks free and targets me without hesitation. Did you even know what you were doing to me? Could you feel it?”

Edward felt his breathing becoming uneven and he broke off to gather himself again.

Jonathan sighed as he ran a hand through his own hair and considered his answer.

“It is a complicated process, you know it is. Scarecrow is a part of me, a defense mechanism built up over years of abuse and terror, and I can always feel his vague influence in my head. If I desire, I can allow some of the characteristics leak through, which is what leads to the noticeable changes in my mannerisms and speech patterns, but I still keep control which is the important difference.”

Pushing his glasses up against his eyes, he continued to explain.

“If my body goes into extreme shock, such as suffering a large dose of my toxin which is strong enough to overcome my built-up immunities then I can lose that control and when that happens my Scarecrow defense mechanism is able to take over. So, to answer your initial question. Yes. I was aware of what was happening to you but not fully. To put it in more colloquial terms, it almost feel like I am watching the events play through a clouded screen since I am faintly able to view what is happening but unable to influence them. I could not do anything to stop it that night since I was suffering under the toxin. If I had the ability to wrestle control back sooner I would have. Please believe me Edward.”

Edward had flinched when Jon confessed that he was aware of his actions.

He had assumed as much but it still was not a pleasant thing to hear. However, he could not deny that he was a little surprised that Jon had chosen to be honest about how his mind and his internal divide worked, even if it did not make him feel any better about the situation.

“Would you have stopped though Jon? Because I am not convinced that you would.”

“We have been having sex together on and off for over a year Edward, far longer than any other individual I have known in my life.” He had to refrain from rolling his eyes at the accusation. “We have been acquaintances much longer than that and I have kept the Scarecrow from doing you any harm for that length of time. With the power of hindsight, that may have been a mistake as when he was freed he instantly sought you out as a sign of defiance but I will do all in my power to ensure that you never need face him again, Edward, even if it means forcing unconsciousness on myself with the last of my strength.”

Seeing that his every word was being analysed by Edwards' intelligent eyes, he could not help but add to his small speech.

“But do you really think it was easy for me to see and feel what I was doing to you? Can you imagine how powerless I felt when I awoke and realised the extent of what I had done? I scrubbed away the blood but the guilt haunted me. I can never undo what was done to you but I need you to understand that I would never voluntarily harm you in such a way.”

His voice had become a little strained at the end of his small speech and it caused Edward to pause.

“I have never expected you to love me Jonathan and I never will. I do not think either of us are even capable of feeling anything that strong towards another but I at least am willing to admit that I do care for you and your well-being as much as I possibly can. Could you look me in the eye and say the same?” Edward placed his hands fully on the table as he waited for a response.

“If you were to die naturally Edward, I would mourn you and if it were another who took your life then I would seek bloody revenge until I was satisfied.” Jonathan answered honestly. “As soon as I woke up in the basement, before the memories fully came back to me, I was convinced that I had killed you and the thought was abhorrent and left me with an unexpected emptiness. In the unlikely event that you die before me, I will most likely not attempt to find new companionship with anyone else as a mark of respect for what we had.”

Edward swallowed heavily at the words.

He certainly did not expect that response.

From what he knew about Jonathan, he knew that small confession meant a lot more than it would appear and he decided to try and push his luck while the other man seemed to be in the giving mood.

“Prove it to me Jon. Tell me something personal about yourself that no one else in this world could possibly know about you. Prove to me that you are committed to what we have. Prove that you actually give a damn about 'this'.” Edward gestured to the both of them with his hands.

Jonathan was silent while he considered his options.

“I have a sister.” He spoke hesitantly after a few moments. “A half-sister technically, from my mothers' side and I recently found out that she has been attending Gotham University for the last few years.” Edward couldn't keep the surprise from his face. Jonathan had revealed much about his family history but he had never mentioned having a sister before.

“When she was a infant I, well...Scarecrow, attempted to murder her in her crib.” He grimaced at memory. “I was much younger, impulsive and foolish, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Batman was able to stop me and after that I never attempted to seek her out again but I recently saw her name in the paper stating that she was due to graduate.”

“What subject?”

“Psychology.” Jonathan smirked at the irony. “I highly doubt our mother would have informed her of her dear older brother so she probably has no idea who I am or the relationship we share.”

“And what do you plan to do with this information?”

“Absolutely nothing. As I said, I was foolish when I was younger and I was punishing her for her mothers sins. That child has done me no personal wrong and as far as I am concerned she is just another potential subject living in this world. And to answer your unspoken question, no. I have no plans to call on her at any time in the future.”

Edward nodded and the pair fell into silence again.

“If I had killed you Edward, I would have struggled to come to terms with what I had done. Particularly, the brutal nature of the attack which is not something I am proud exists as a part of me.” He admitted quietly. “I may never say it and I may never say it again but I do appreciate the companionship you have provided me over the last year and the thought of being alone in this cesspit of a world, even being alone in this apartment, without you causes the smallest tendrils of fear to develop in my system.” He avoided Edwards' eye as he admitted to this fact, unable to face the possibility that he may still be rejected.

A genuine smile lit his face as Edward considered Jonathans' words and the meaning behind them. That small, honest display was what he really needed to convince himself that there was something between them which could be salvaged. If Jonathan was confident that he could keep the Scarecrow from emerging again then he had faith that he would achieve that goal. Jonathan was nothing if not determined.

Reaching across the table to place his hand over Jonathans', Edward spoke coyly, “And who said you would get my apartment if I died?”

Jonathan gave Edward a questioning look and Edward nodded slightly to let him know that he was willing to accept his explanation for what it was. Turning his hand around so that he could clasp Edwards' fingers with his own in a rare display of affection, he replied. “Well who else would get it? Jervis? He would have this place fitted up like a filthy opium den within a week.” He kept his deadpan expression but he was pleased that he had not destroyed the only constant and relatively good thing he had going in his life.

Edward laughed at the answer and the pair shared a small smile. It would take some time, but he was confident that a new chapter in their glorious and terrifying shared relationship was about to make itself known.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus ends Part 1 of this series! Part 2 has already been started and will be posted when i have it up to snuff. It will be titled 'Monophobia' :)
> 
> A massive thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this story (and if you read it and hated it then i apologise but that's time in your life you're never going to get back). But seriously, thank you to every single person who has enjoyed this work (and special love to those who left reviews and kudos). <3 <3 <3


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